How to be Whole Again
by ZeChocobo
Summary: All Might is hit with a de-aging quirk. Losing his memory but gaining back his old body and One for All. Aizawa has to deal with the fallout. Slight Manga Spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Shouta and Toshinori leave their home, walking close, about a safe distance to be considered close friends. It's a delicate balance, keeping their relationships secret when everyone knows All Might's true form. But then again, they've had years of practice. At the beginning, they kept their relationship secret for the same reasons most heroes do, to stop villains from using their loved ones against them. Now, it's mostly because Toshinori knows how media attention makes Shouta anxious.

His husband is so considerate and Shouta loves it. But even he is starting to get sick of keeping their relationship a secret. Frowning, Shouta gives a quick glance down at his husband's hand. It's been years since their wedding, and he can't even hold Toshi's hand in public. He knows the first wave of the news hungry vultures will be rough, but it'll die down. Eventually. Hopefully. Shouta worries his bottom lip as he considers his options.

"You okay?" Toshinori, observant as ever has noticed Shouta's distracted state.

"Yes, just thinking."

"Should I be worried?" When Shouta looks over Toshi is grinning at him and Shouta's sure if he had eyebrows right now, he would be wiggling them suggestively. Shouta rolls his eyes, but he has a small smile now. Toshinori always knows how to cheer him up.

Shouta is about to respond when he hears a child call out to All Might. They're a few feet away from their first stop. Shouta's surprised it took this long for someone to approach the retired hero. It happens without fail whenever they go out. Toshinori is already stopping and turning to the child and her frazzled looking mother, a big smile on his face. Shouta keeps walking, though he does reach out and give Toshi's shoulder a quick squeeze as he passes by to go into the shop.

It's a fairly good system they've worked out. Shouta muses while he's trying to find the 'magic candles that don't go out!' for Eri's birthday. He carries on with whatever task they set out to do and Toshi can spend the time he wants to with his fans. No need to worry about Shouta waiting around awkwardly for All Might to finish. Depending on how many people show up, it can take up a good chunk of time. Though most times Toshi does have a chance to catch up with Shouta before he finishes. Shouta's just happy that Toshi has overcome his initial insecurity when people recognize him in his current form.

Shouta's only in the store for a few minutes when he hears a scream. He's already moving before his mind catches up with him. A small flair of panic blooms in his chest. Toshinori is vulnerable. Even though the villains targeting him have been far and few in-between, that doesn't mean they still don't try. The scream doesn't sound like Toshi's but that doesn't mean his idiot husband wont jump into battle to defend the innocent.

He bursts out of the shop only to stop in his tracks at the sight before him. All Might is there. In his full powered form. Which wouldn't have normally been a problem, but Toshinori left the house in fitted clothes today. His shirt is shredded. His pants are the same. All Might is looking down at his torn clothes in helpless confusion. The same clothes that are threatening to slide off his perfectly sculpted muscles.

Shouta kicks back into gear and throws his capture weapon out to stop his husband from breaking any public indecency laws. It winds securely around the larger hero's chest and legs. He makes sure that Tosh's wedding band is securely covered. This is not how he wants the news of All Might being married to get out. There's a small flicker of movement behind All Might. With the briefest hint of hesitation, Shota sends the last of his capture weapon in an attempt to grab at it. It's the only thing he can think of that might have spooked Toshinori into transforming. He can feel his weapon secure around something solid. The threat should be naturalized, but just in case, he makes sure his end of the capture weapon is tightly wound around his arms and that he has a good grip on it. Satisfied that he won't lose his grip, he turns his attention back to his husband. He can't believe how careless Toshi was.

"All Might-" Shouta barely gets Toshi's hero name out before All Might has his hand wrapped around a part of Shouta's capture weapon that's connecting them and tugs. Shouta goes flying through the air and All Might catches him by wrapping one of his huge hands around his head. His own hands are instantly trying to claw All Might's hands off of his face.

"You must have a powerful warping quirk to pull me from my office. But you have made a mistake, villain, because now I Am Here." All Might's hands squeeze a little to emphasize his point. Shouta thinks can feel his skull creak under the pressure.

Shit. What the hell happened to his husband. Shouta has resorted to trying to kick All Might, but it's like trying to kick a concrete wall. He just has to get a good angle, one eye free so that he can see All Might. Then he might have a fighting chance. The first tendrils of fear start to creep over him. This is too similar to the Nomu attack. He's going to be crushed to death. He can't get any air through the hand covering his nose and mouth. He's starting to get desperate. Shouta opens his mouth to bite down.

"All Might please stop! That's another Hero! Eraserhead!" It's the mother from before. Shouta is instantly dropped.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry! You must be a new hero." All Might kneels down so he can rub Shouta's back as he's trying to gulp lungfulls of air. "I was just so startled, one minute I was doing paperwork and the next I was outside with my clothes shredded!"

"Stop." Shouta holds his hand up to quickly cut off any further rambling from the large hero. He is pointedly ignoring the fact that his husband has suddenly lost over six years of his memory and doesn't seem to have any trouble staying in his muscle form. Instead, he pulls himself off the ground and makes his way around All Might, following the tugging of his capture weapon.

There's a mousy looking man standing there trying to free himself from the capture weapon. It's wound around his upper body, securing his upper arms to his waist. When he notices Eraserhead advancing on him he quickly puts his hands up in surrender. "Sorry! Sorry! I should have asked before using my quirk on him, but I was so excited, I might have acted without thinking." A feeling of dread slowly starts to intertwine with the earlier fear that hasn't quite dissipated.

"What. did. you. do?" Shouta's voice is low and dangerous. He can feel his quirk activate, his hair gently floating around him. He tightens the capture weapon, so it squeezes the guys arms closer to this body. Only to loosen it again when he realizes the guy can't get in any air to answer with.

"Calm down man, All Might's perfectly okay. My quirk is called Prime Time, it brings a person to the point in their life where they are at their prime, peak condition, their best self you could say." The man looks so proud of himself. Shouta wants to rip him apart. He settles for a deep breath. He deactivates his quirk and eases the flair of irritation in his eyes with a few eyedrops. A crowd is starting to gather around the small group. It won't be long until the press gets wind of this story, he can already see too many cell phones out. Letting out a curse, he quickly pulls out his phone to get a cab.

"You two are coming with me, we are going to U.A. "You-" He says pointing to the mousy man "are going to explain yourself in detail, to the staff of U.A. a few select hero's and the police."

The man squawks at the mention of the police. "Why the police? I didn't do anything wrong, I saved All Might! The symbol of peace. He was dying and I made him strong again! You should be celebrating me."

Shouta barely stops himself from punching the man in the face. "You used your quirk on another person without their permission. I would advise being silent until we get to U.A. and cooperate fully when we do get there." That shuts the guy up for now. He seems to be realizing not everyone is going to fall over and bow to him for bringing back All Might.

Taking another deep breath, Shouta turns to All Might. He's been surprisingly quiet through this whole thing. He looks fine, with a huge smile on his face, even though the only thing covering him are the thin fibers of Shouta's capture weapon. But Shouta can pick out the tension in his shoulders, how his forehead is creased a little too much, his nervous habit of clenching and unclenching his fists. All signs that All Might knows something is very wrong here.

"You're a teacher at U.A." Shouta says softly. All Might and his blinding smile turn towards him. "They should have some spare clothes for you. We'll figure out the rest when we get to the school." The cab pulls up and Shouta couldn't be more thankful for the chance to escape that gaze. He quickly turns away from All Might to unbind his captive, trusting that he will behave himself for now. Shouta shoves the guy in the back seat, giving him a look that dares him to try and escape. He secures the rest of the bindings around All Might, making sure that they won't fall off on the ride back.

"Here, please" Shouta opens the front passenger's side for All Might. He is very careful not to look at his husband again. There wasn't an ounce of recognition in his eyes the first time. His smile felt so vacant. A question forms on the tip of Shouta's tongue. Was the quirk permanent? Was the man who filled up his miserable life with love and warmth, gone?

Rationally, he knows quirks like these tend to be temporary. It's rare that any quirk lasts without the user to guide it. Shouta takes a deep breath, and lets those thoughts placate his growing fear. There's no need to ask. He can wait. This will all pass and be another tick in their long list of mishaps and adventures. The underground hero moves into the backseat and lets the driver know to head to U.A.

Soon after they move, Shouta pulls out his phone to inform the teachers of U.A. to call an emergency meeting. He makes sure that Tsukauchi and Grand Torino know about the meeting as well, though he's not sure if Grand Torino will be able to make it on such short notice. He would have added Shinso as well, but he's currently on an undercover mission.

Tentatively he adds in Midoriya and Bakugo as well. Both of them drop by his and Toshi's home often. To have dinner, catch up, talk about the latest villains and how best to counter them. They even help babysit Eri when both he and Toshi are busy.

Bakugo's anger has cooled over the years and Shouta knows its always soothed the guilt in his heart see how happy All Might has become. Midoriya has always been happy just being able to spend time with his two former teachers. They both know about One for All and All Might will want to meet his successor. He briefly wonders if this All Might still has one for all, but pushes down that question as well.

Worrying his bottom lip, he gives the briefest of glances to All Might. He adds one more line to the message, requesting that no one mention that All Might is married. Everyone at this meeting will know and he doesn't want to overwhelm Toshi. Maybe after he has a chance to process everything that's happened to him. Feeling satisfied with the message, he sends it out and hopes Tsukauchi arrives before they do. The less time he has to spend in the presence of the quirk user, the better. He gets a few curious reply's, but quickly pockets his phone. Looking out the window instead to watch the city go by.

They make it to U.A. fairly quickly. Tsukauchi isn't there yet, but the other teachers are. Midnight eyeballs the bandaged All Might when he steps out of the cab. Shouta glares at her and pointedly stands between the other teachers and All Might. He really needs to get him into some actual clothes and fast. She just chuckles at his obvious distress and saunters over.

"Go get the big guy some proper clothes, we'll take care of the baggage" She throws him a wink as she goes to secure the quirk user.

The other teachers move to help. They'll get down all his general information, but the actual meeting won't start until both All Might and Shouta in the room.

Shouta chances another brief look at All Might. Still smiling. Slowly taking in everything, looking at the building and the people like they don't fit quite right. Shouta wonders if it's like looking in a funhouse mirror for him. Strange people in a strange place, no one recognizable. Hopefully, he'll know Tsukauchi, so he won't feel so alone.

"Follow me, please" His voice is still soft as he leads All Might into the building. Shouta is nervous. Compared to All Might he feels so small. He looks over his shoulder just to seem him, make sure he's still there. He is. And so is that damned smile. "You don't have to put on a brave front, I'm sure this isn't easy for you." It's said barely above a whisper. Shouta feels like a teenager again with his first crush. Toshi made this so easy. But this All Might has such a strong, overbearing presence. It throws Shota off balance.

"That's kind of you hero, it is quite a unique situation I find myself in." All Might lets out one of his booming laughs. "But worry not, from what that man said earlier, it sounds like he saved me life! Is it true, I was dying?"

Shouta wrinkles his nose at the mention of Toshi dying. "You had an injury and lost your quirk. The injury was bad. But for the most part you were able to manage it." He doesn't want to make light of Toshi's life altering injury, but his Toshi was still strong. He always found a way to push past the blood and pain, bursting with strength and life. "Of course, you revealed you're weakened state in the flashiest way possible. The whole world was on the edge of their seats."

"Even you hero?"

Shouta paused at that question. Letting a wave of memories flood over him briefly. He should have known then that Toshi was nothing but trouble. "Even me." He continues walking. "From the dramatic difference between your form then and now, people probably thought you were on deaths door. It was… shocking."

They make it to the teachers' lounge and Shouta goes in to pull out a set of spare clothes that Toshinori kept around 'just in case.' He gently rubs a thumb over the fabric while he holds it. He tells himself one more time that it's going to be okay. Before turning to face All Might again.

"I'll help you get my capture weapon off." Shouta grabs onto the ends he tied before and makes quick work of unwinding the weapon. While All Might is distracted by the ribbons flowing from his body, Shouta smoothly removes the chain that Toshi's wedding band is on from All Might's neck. It feels dirty, stealing his husband's wedding band, but there's no point in keeping a secret if the evidence is there clear as day. He adds the ring to his own neck under his capture weapon that is now secured around his shoulders. He then turns around to give All Might some privacy while he changes into the clothes Shouta handed him.

"Are you in any pain now?" Shouta knows he should wait, but the question slips out before he can stop himself.

All Might slides into his view, fully dressed in his yellow pinstripe suit. "I'm feeling great hero! As strong as ever, I could take on a room full of villains if need be!" He is flexing and posing to show off how 'great' he was feeling.

Shouta takes a reflexive step back, and quickly turns back toward the door, away from All Might. It's been a long time, but he knows exactly how strong those arms are. And he rather not explain the sudden flush of his face. This whole day is putting him through the ringer. He hopes he can survive it.

"Come on, everybody's probably gathered in the meeting room already. Let's see what exactly that guy's quirk does." With that, Shouta quickly escapes the room.


	2. Chapter 2

When they enter the meeting room, All Might is whisked away to the front. As he passes by the Eraser hero he reaches out and absent mindedly gives Shouta's shoulder a quick squeeze. Shouta's heart blooms with hope. It's something they've always done when parting each other's presence in public. Something small, something unnoticed by others, a quick 'I love you' in the form of a physical gesture.

Shouta can't help a small smile. He looks around to see who was able to make it to the meeting on such short notice. All the teachers are here, luckily this happened on a weekend. Tsukauchi is also here, representing the police force and making sure the quirk user doesn't hide anything. Gran Torino wasn't able to make it, living so far away, but Shouta doesn't doubt he's on his way anyway.

Shouta is glad to see that both Midoriya and Bakugo were able to show up. Midoriya is vibrating out of his seat with excitement, his teacher and hero look strong and whole. Being the more cynical of the two, Bakugo radiates suspicion. Luckily, his irritation seems to be condensed to a quick tapping of his finger.

His musings are cut short as Nezu takes the stand. "Now everyone, as you are aware, this man, Riki, has used his quirk on All Might. If you would, please go into details on your quirk, Riki." He moves out of the way so Riki can take his place. He looks a little nervous now, with the attention of so many heroes on him.

"So, specifically my quirk is a bit of time manipulation for the person I use it on. It literally drags them back to a point in their lives where they are physically at their peek condition. I'm not sure the exact specifics, since I can only use this quirk once every decade or so." He's wringing his hands, glancing around the room.

Since he's already heard this information, Shouta keeps an eye on Bakugo's and Midoriya's reactions. He can see the dots connecting for both of them. The same ones that Shouta has been too much of a coward to even touch. Midoriya's body is slowly going still, while Bakugo's slowly becomes more animated. Agitation radiating from the explosive quirk user.

"The only downside of my quirk is the complete memory loss, because the person I use it on essentially steps out of their point in time and walks right into this one. I probably should have asked first, before using my quirk but everyone saw how weak All Might had become. I just had to wait for my quirk to come up again, and I figured everyone would be happy with the Symbol of Peace back."

At the mention of memory loss, a few of the teachers and Midoriya turn to look right at the Eraser hero. Shouta wishes they wouldn't, he hates the attention. Moving so that his hair more thoroughly hides his face, he sinks in to his capture weapon. Most of the teachers turn back to the front, respecting Shouta's wishes. Midoriya of course doesn't, and looks like he wants to comfort his former teacher. He's always been an empathetic kid.

Bakugo never turned around. He's kept his eyes pinned to the source of his agitation. Shouta thinks he might have made a mistake inviting Bakugo. He knew the blond has become reluctantly fond of their little family unit, Shouta, Toshinori and Eri. Anytime the nitroglycerin user is around and a villain attacks any of them, Bakugo tends to become vicious in his defense of them. He claims it's to stop future attacks, but he always sticks around afterword making sure none of them suffered any injuries.

Everyone's attention is pulled back to the front as Nezu asks the question that Shouta has desperately avoided since his husband was transformed back into his old self. "Is your quirk permanent? All Might has a lot of friends and loved ones, most of whom are in this room." It's hard to tell, with Nezu's calm voice, but that statement shows that he is pissed off too. Reminding Riki that he used his quirk illegally, on All Might, and that he's in a room full of people who loved him for who he was.

Riki's eyes widen and he takes in all the pro heroes currently in the room. All the color has drained from Midoriya's face like he didn't even think that the quirk could be premiant. Bakugo looks furious, small explosions emitting from his palm. The rest of the teachers are a mix between the two, though most are closer to Bakugo's fury.

"Oh, um.. Yes?"

"MOTHERFUCKER" Bakugo is out of his seat and flying toward Riki the moment the confirmation is out of his mouth. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"Kacchan! NO!" With lightning quick reflexes, Midoriya has him pinned a second later. One for All's light glowing around him. "You can't attack a civilian, no matter how justified it is. You'll lose your hero license." He's glaring fiercely at Riki. It seems Midoriya has settled on anger as well.

There's a ripple of angry energy through the room. Most of the teachers were fine with Bakugo pummeling the quirk user. Both Midnight and Present Mic move to stand. Either to help Midoriya with Bakugo or beat up Riki themselves, unsure Shouta quickly grabs both of their wrists with shaking hands. Shouta knows that his friend's fury is for him. That Bakugo and Midoriya's fury is for him. He should be furious too.

All he feels is numb.

Midnight and Present Mic both sit back down and move their seats closer to his. One on each side, thighs touching, becoming human shields. They transfer his hands from their wrists to their hands. Shouta lets it all happen, he can feel himself start to fray at the edges. Their hands help keep him grounded.

"Young Hero! Please calm yourself, I know emotions are running high, but I promise everything will be alright." All Might, ever the hero tires to step in to defuse the situation. "Because I–"

"I swear to god if you finish that line, I'll blow you up next All Might." Startled by the vicious tone in the young hero's words All Might takes a step back.

Bakugo bucks his hips under Midoriya trying to dislodge the other hero. At least he has enough sense not to use his explosions in such a small space with so many people around. "Get off of me you damn nerd. I'm going to blow that bastards head in."

"Kacchan, please. Stop. Do you think this is what Mr. Aizawa needs right now? What anyone needs right now? We all cared about All Might. None of us wanted to lose him this way!" The words seem to work. Letting out a soft curse, Bakugo lets the fight drain from his body.

All Might looks stunned. The reality of his situation sinking in. Him being here is a loss for the people in this room. His mere presence causing pain instead of hope. "I'm sorry for any undo pain I've put upon any of you. I didn't realize…" All Might's sentence trails off. His smile is still there but it's dimmed.

"Don't worry about it All Might. It's not your fault." Midoriya gets out as he's forcefully dragging Bakugo out of the meeting room. He mutters something about blowing off steam at ground beta as they are leaving.

"Well that was quite a surprise." Nezu huffs and moves to take control of the meeting once more. They move onto questions for All Might, to see where in the timeline of his life he falls. Shouta is doing everything he can not to fall apart in front of everyone. He catches a few key points of the rest of the meeting. It's a few months after All Might's debut in Japan, his quirk is back, and that he's no longer in any pain.

Everyone chips in to tell All Might about the life he lived through once. They are respectful of Shouta's wishes and don't tell him that he's currently married. They do tell him about his injury from All for One, becoming a teacher, his reveal to the world. They talk about the other exploits, the league of villains, of Toshi's life. Shouta hates it. Hates all of it. It's like being at a funeral, where everyone reminisces about the dead. He wants to scream.

After what feels like an eternity, the meeting gets to a point where Aizawa can slip out of the door unnoticed. Dazed, he stumbles to the nearest bathroom, walks into a stall, sinks down to his knees and promptly throws up. Nemuri is right behind him, following him as soon as he left. She is pulling his hair back, stringing together words of comfort for him. All of that is muted as one phrase roars over and over in his head.

Toshi is gone.

_It's Toshi's turn to read, Shouta is curled up to his side listing to his voice. He's the better reader out of the two, always animating his voice and giving life each of the characters. Shouta tends to be more shy when it's his turn to read, but he knows Toshi loves it anyway. They've started reading to each other, because they know individually, they would never get a book finished. But now Shouta is alone because-_

Toshi is gone. He isn't coming back.

Aizawa lets out a sob as his stomach heaves again and his friend gathers his hair in one hand so that she can rub his back. He can't seem to get enough air in his lungs. His body is shaking.

_"Midoriya is crying again" It's their first dance at the wedding reception. Shouta still doesn't know how Toshi convinced him a wedding was a good idea. But true to his promise his now husband had kept it small, inviting only their colleagues, a few students, and friends. Husband. That word used to fill Shouta with such happiness, but now all it brings forth is an all-encompassing grief._

Toshi is gone. This isn't magically going to fix itself.

He can't breathe.

_They're arguing. It's the only thing they ever truly argue about. A villain attack during one of their dates. Yagi's arm getting broken trying to get a civilian free. Aizawa in turn getting injured because of the distraction. A villain took a chunk out of his leg. They both know the other is weakening, Toshinori is no longer All Might and Shouta's quirk has been decaying over the years. They both know that the other moves before thinking. It's the same loop each time, both of them worried for the other but both innately heroes._

_Shouta hates fighting with Toshi, but when he mentions giving up his hero work and becoming a full-time teacher, Toshinori looks horrified. He never wanted to push Shouta into giving up his dreams. But now that the idea and words are out Shouta doesn't think it's a bad plan. He has his students, his friends, and his husband. Toshi is right, his own quirk is getting weaker and he should retire soon. He hasn't even taken an underground case in years, because of the time those missions demand. He was going to bring it up with Toshinori soon but now-_

Toshi is gone.

A world without him is terrifying.

There's a sudden yell of his name and a sharp pain on his cheek, his head jerking to the side, from the force of the hit. Shouta blinks in confusion and holds his hand up to his stinging cheek. The world seems to come back into focus, and he takes in a handful of long shuddering breaths. He didn't realize how close he was to blacking out until the darkness was cleared away from the edges of his vision.

"Shouta!" Hizashi repeats as he appears in his vision, gripping both of his shoulders giving him a slight shake. "Breathe, Shouta, please breathe, don't want you fainting on us…" Hizashi starts counting inhales and exhales. Shouta is still shaking, but he's trying to calm his panicked breathing with his friends help.

He never knew he could feel like this. Never knew how Toshinori seeped into his life so thoroughly, that when faced with the reality of losing him, it sent him straight into a panic attack. He knew Toshi wasn't going to get better. Knew that he would most likely outlive Toshi. But it wasn't supposed to happen this soon. It was too soon. He wasn't ready.

He was never going to be ready.

Sensing her friends growing distress Nemuri gently wraps Shouta back into a hug. "Do you want me to get you anything?" She goes back to rubbing his back in small circles. Shouta is still crying softly, but his breathing has become more stable. He shakes his head no. He absently wonders what he's done in a past life to deserve such amazing friends. His thoughts darken when he wonders what he's done in a past life to lose Toshi. He shakes his head to clear out those thoughts, there's no point in spiraling again.

"You can win him back Shouta, he's still Yagi under all that All Might" Hizashi is saying it like it's the simplest thing in the world. Like Shouta isn't a total trash panda and All Might doesn't have super models throwing themselves at him every chance they get. Even if he could somehow get All Might's attention, Shouta knows Toshinori will most likely reject any advances. Like his master before him, he would undoubtedly pick hero work over love.

"I wouldn't be able to, not with him being the way he is now." Shouta mumbles as he pulls Hizashi and Nemuri closer to himself. He leans his head on Nemuri's shoulder and kicks his legs over Hizashi's. His tears have mostly dried up for now, thanks to the combined efforts of his friends.

Nemuri strokes her fingers through Shouta's hair. "What are you talking about? Just because he's All Might doesn't mean you can't make him fall in love with you again. Are you giving up on him? Do you doubt how much he loved you?" Her questions aimed to help Shouta work through his feelings.

"Of course not. I would never doubt Toshi's love for me. But he's not the same person." He doesn't really want to think about this. He knows his friends are trying to give him a semblance of hope, but it's all too much, too soon.

"Is it because he's not damaged enough for you? Because that's the only difference I see between them. I never knew you to need a handicap Shouta." Her words are cruel, but she's trying to prove a point. That the only difference in All Might now, is his body.

"Midnight!" Hizashi is gaping at her, "that's too far!"

She instantly looks guilty. "I'm Sorry, Eraser. This is all just so _stupid_. He's right there. Why won't you go after him?"

Shouta lets out a bitter laugh. "Let me put it this way, how would you feel if one day, out of nowhere, Kamui Woods, Mt. Lady or better yet for this scenario, we'll say a student came up to you and said you've been married for years."

"That would be a little weird, but-"

Cutting her off Shouta continues "Now imagine you're the Number One Hero. People constantly fawning over you. But you're too good to ever think of using you're fame just to get someone into bed with you. You're also well aware that no one really cares about the real you. Because, how could they? You've buried everything that you are. No one should know the man behind the smile. It would ruin the façade that the Symbol of Peace is."

"That makes sense, but you do know the real-"

Hizashi is the one who gets cut off this time, "I would be taking advantage of him!" The truth spills out. His fears, his doubts. He can't stop it. "Look at me. I don't know if I'm enough anymore. I'm so much older now. My quirk is the one fading. I barely do any hero work. He shouldn't have to be tied down to someone like me. He has his whole life ahead of him now. If he knew about me, he would feel obligated to try because he's too good. And there would be no stopping him if he found out about Eri."

Oh.

His whirling thoughts come to a complete halt. Only to come flooding back, cascading into a single point.

_Eri_.

What was he going to tell her? How was he going to tell her? She's going to think this is her fault. Think that it's her curse. Fucking Overhaul and his damn manipulation of her. Can he even tell her? He was never good with words, that was Toshi's job. He doesn't know if he can be a good parent with just him. Hell, he doesn't know if he can be a _person_ anymore without Toshi.

_The panic starts creeping back in._

Because that's the truth isn't it? He's always been only half a person. Toshi filled in his cracks and made him whole.

But Toshi's gone now.

Shouta digs his nails into his arms. Forces himself to calm down. He can't crumble again. He may be only half a person right now, but Eri needs him. His daughter needs him. She'll need him to be strong, so that she'll know this isn't her fault. If he crumbles in front of her, all those years of progress will be for nothing. He won't lose her smile too.

"Shouta, you okay man?" Hizashi's hands gently pull Shouta's away from his arm. "You're going to hurt yourself."

Trying to take deep breaths, Shouta lets his friend move his shaking hands. When he looks up, his friend's faces are painted in concern. "I need to tell Eri what happened. I've been wallowing in my own grief, I didn't even think of her." He's such a failure.

"That's not something to feel guilty about Shouta. You just lost your husband. You're allowed to wallow for however much you need to. We'll be happy to help in any way you need with Eri. We can even tell Eri if you need it, we're here for you." Hizashi is nodding along with Nemuri's words.

"I- thank you. Both of you." Shouta wants to take them up on their offer. Wants to curl up and lick his wounds. Ignore the outside world, but he knows he can't. He has to face this. "I'll tell her. I'll let her know what happened to Toshi. If she doesn't want to see him, then I won't tell him about her. Toshi would want it this way. He would give up his last lung if he thought it would help Eri."

They stay like that for a while, huddled together on the bathroom floor. Yamada's voice cuts through the silence. "You still have to tell him Eraser. At least that he's married to you. He's going to find out. You kept your secret safe from the world, but there are a few key things missing from his life. He's going to get suspicious."

Groaning Shouta leans back on the bathroom wall. "This has been the singular most exhausting day of my life." His friends let out a chuckle at the truth of that statement. "I'll let him know, I just need a little time first."

"Do whatever you need to do Shouta." The voice hero gives him a few encouraging pats on his arm.

Sighing, the eraser hero gets up off the floor and helps his two friends up as well. "Common, can't stay here all day." He goes over to the sink to wash off his face and mouth.

"We'll drop off some food for you and Eri later, I'm not letting the both of you get away with surviving off juice packs." Midnight teases lightly, as she goes to unlock the bathroom door. No wonder they weren't disturbed. Hizashi must have locked it when he came in.

Before Shouta walks out of the bathroom, Midnight grabs his shoulder and turns him to face her. "You are enough Shouta." She looks directly into his eyes as she said that, trying to convey the sincerity of her words. "Anyone could see how much Toshinori loved you and Eri. The way he looked at the both of you, well, even I got jealous."

Shouta takes a moment to let his friend's words wash over him. This whole ordeal becomes slight less hopeless. He loves them. These two people who decided he was worth something. A tiny piece of his shattered heart clicks back into place, as they leave the bathroom together.


	3. Chapter 3

Standing outside of Lemillion's door, Shouta prepares himself for what he has to do next.

Telling Eri that Toshi forgot about her is going to kill him. But he can do this. He lays a hand over his and Toshi's wedding bands, gathering himself.

His hand is shaking when he knocks on the door.

A few seconds later the door swings open with a flourish. "Eraser! Eri's just finishing off a boss, she loves – Are you okay? Your eyes are bloodshot. How much did you use your quirk?" Mirio Togata may act like an airhead but there's a reason he takes one of the top five hero spots. He's quickly categorizing all the details he can, assessing the situation. "Did something happen with All Might? You two always pick up Eri together."

Shouta runs a frustrated hand through his hair. He should have taken a closer look at himself in the mirror before coming here. "He was hit by a quirk. I need to talk to Eri." Sighing, he reaches for his eye drops and tries to make himself look more presentable. "Do you mind if I use your place for a bit?" Eri's too intuitive, even if he come up with an excuse, she'll ask questions. He rather not have this discussion on their way home.

Lemillion answers in an affirmative and moves out of the way for Shouta to come in. The sounds of the video game draws him over to where Eri sits. He waits for her to get done, delaying the unpleasant task ahead of him for a few more minutes. Mirio excuses himself to make tea, giving them some privacy.

Eri lets out a shout of excitement as the boss dies. When she turns around and see's Shouta there, she lets out an excited "Dad!" and runs to hug him.

"Hello kitten." The eraser hero gently strokes her hair. She twists out of his grasp after she deems his welcome hug done. She's excitedly looking around, ready to boast about her victory to Toshinori.

"Where's Papa?" Shouta can feel his heart clench. Her lips are turned in a delicate frown. Taking her hand in his, he leads her over to the couch, and sits down with her.

"I want you to know, that your Papa is okay, but he was hit by a quirk. It brought back his old self, fully healed. He's no longer hurting, he can eat whatever he wants now, and he can resume his hero work again." He hopes starting off with the positives will help ease her into the bad news.

She's looking confused, waiting for the other shoe to drop. She knows her papa would be here if it was something as simple as that. And her dad wouldn't look so sad.

"The only drawback is that he doesn't remember us or anyone, past the age he was transformed into." She completely freezes, as she tries to process the information. Shouta gives her time, wanting to follow her lead. He doesn't want to act like this is the end of the world in front of her. If he breaks down, she will follow his lead.

After what feels like an eternity, she speaks in a shaking voice "Papa doesn't remember us?"

"Yes." He keeps it short for now, he doesn't trust his own voice.

"But he's still alive." A few droplets escape her eyes.

"Yes." All Might is still alive. Alive and well. _But Toshi is gone_. There's a sharp pain in his palms as he digs his nails into them to ground himself. Focuses his attention on his daughter before him, drowning out the thought. Her long gray hair, red eyes, tiny hands, and her horn. She's here, real and right in front of him. He can't drift again, she needs him.

"Then there's hope." Eri says it with conviction. With all the ease of a simple fact.

"What?" It throws him completely off guard.

"Papa told me once, that as long as someone's alive, there's still hope." She looked so much like Toshi in that moment, that it takes Shouta's breath away. She has the same look in her eyes that his husband has, right before he overcomes unbeatable odds.

She is so strong. So much stronger than he ever was. He couldn't be more thankful for the many heroes who helped influence her to become the strong person she is today. She has Bakugo's pride, Midoriya's kind heart, Toshinori's determination, and Togata's endless optimism. None of his weakness.

"That's right Eri! Hope is a hero's greatest asset!" Togata is back with the tea, he places it nearby, gives Eri a bright smile. "I'm proud of you for remembering!" he turns to Shouta, he mouths a silent 'I'm sorry' to his former teacher. Shouta's thankful for the interruption, even if the other hero is eavesdropping. It's to be expected though, so Shouta gives the blond a quick nod, glad for the other hero's bright personality. "Oh, forgot the sugar!" He runs back into the kitchen once again.

Shouta shakes his head at Lemillion's not so subtle way of "helping." When he turns his attention back to Eri, she's also looking at where Togata disappeared to.

"Hey dad, is it okay if I try using my quirk to bring him back, like I brought back Lemillion's powers?" She turns to him running her fingers nervously through her hair. Her quirk is powerful, but the chances of it working in this situation are slim to none.

He once talked to Toshi about asking Eri to use her quirk, a long time ago, to try to heal his husbands wound. But inevitably they decided the risks were too great. If Eri failed, went too far, or accidently hurt Toshi, they knew she would never forgive herself. His husband was also strongly opposed to the risk of leaving Shouta and Eri behind. Toshi was happy to live with his pain, if it meant he was able to be with them.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. We don't know how your quirk would work with one he's under now. You could end up just making him even younger." He doesn't mention that bringing Toshi back would also bring back the hole in his stomach. Bring back the late nights of Toshi struggling to breathe, blood filling up his lungs and mouth. For the first time, Shouta feels a small inkling of gratitude. Everything he told Eri earlier was true. Toshi can _live_. Not just exist, but actually enjoy life. He would easily go through the pain of losing him a thousand times over, if it meant his husband wasn't tortured by constant pain.

They're a pair of self-sacrificing idiots and Shouta never knew why he didn't realize it before. Both of them willing to sacrifice almost everything for the other.

"If papa doesn't remember me and I can't use my quirk to bring him back, then what can I do to make him like me again?" She's gripping her pants like a lifeline. Shouta immediately wraps her in a hug and pulls her on his lap.

"There's not a world that exist where Toshinori doesn't love you. We'll have to patient with him, he might make mistakes, but we'll be there to help him." Shouta gives her head a soft kiss. He hopes he's not lying to her. It's true that Toshinori will always love Eri, but he fears this All Might. The one that has been taught to sacrifice everything for the noble sake of being the Symbol of Peace. Will he sacrifice them too?

Just in case he tells her, "You don't have to see him if you don't want to. If it's too scary for you now we can wait as well."

Eri pulls out of his grasp just enough so she can look up into his eyes. "I want to see him! He must be so lonely!"

The outburst makes Shouta think back to the dimmed smile All Might had at the meeting. "You're right, Eri. He is probably very lonely. I'll try to find a good day to have you two meet up." He hopes his smile is reassuring.

"You promise? Because I don't want to lose my family."

"I promise Eri, you won't lose your family." He's torn as he makes that promise. He would to do anything to keep his daughter form feeling the pain of having her family fall apart. But part of him dreads what that means. Because it means trying to court All Might. Who happens to be the most eligible bachelor in the entire world. They never even really dated the first time around, they just fell together naturally into each other's lives.

Dread still piles up though. It shouldn't, because loving Toshinori is the easiest thing in the world for him. He never stopped. The fear he has is in the possibility of rejection. If All Might deems him unworthy, then his deepest fear would be confirmed. That Toshinori Yagi was settling for Shouta Aizawa. And that simple fact would _destroy_ him.

"You two can do this!" Togata's encouragement cuts cleanly through the growing layer of dismay that has settled in the room. Once again, coming to the rescue from the kitchen. He quickly places the sugar down and bundles them both up in a huge bear hug. Letting them go after thoroughly tousling their hair.

Shouta blinks and lets out an involuntary snort of laughter. Eri's hair is a tangled crow's nest, sticking out every which way. She breaks out into giggles soon after, laughing at his tangled mop.

"There we go, some smiles! It may seem hopeless right now, but you're both forgetting that even though All Might's is different, he's still the same dorky guy who uses his own catch phrase is his ringtone."

There's a subtle shift in Shouta's heart at Lemillion's words. He loves Toshi, but he forgot who Toshi _was_. Forgot all the reasons he fell in love with his husband in the first place. He didn't fall in love with the Symbol of Peace, his other half, or Eri's father. He fell in love with Toshi. He fell in love over late nights and lesson plans, over debates on what it means to be a hero, and over seeing Toshinori, with his frail body, face every obstacle thrown his way and overcome each and every one.

And Toshi fell in love with him in return. Fell in love with Shota's dedication in training his students to become heroes, his secret love for cats, and how Shouta made him feel seen. Not as All Might, but as Toshinori Yagi. At least, that's what he should believe, if he's going off of Toshi's wedding vows.

"Papa is pretty silly, isn't he?" Eri's smiling, it's a small tentative thing, but it's there. Relief washes over him, she can still smile. He doesn't understand how he can fight over a dozen villains at once, dismantle crime rings like Legos, and catch some of the most elusive felons, but when faced with his daughter's tears, he's helpless.

"Yes, he is. We'll get him back. Thank you, Togata, for giving both of us hope." He can see it now, the hope in her eyes and he can feel it himself. His husband is the most eligible bachelor in the world, but Shouta is going to win him back. Not just for Eri either, but because he wants to marry his husband again.

The negative emotions aren't completely gone, far from it, they're just softer now. Less likely to pull him into a complete tailspin. He expects he won't feel like himself again for a long while, but it's a good start.

"We should get going, I'm sure Suneater will be home soon and we would hate to impose. I'll make sure someone briefs you two on the full situation." Running his fingers through Eri's hair, he tries to get it back under control before heading out.

"You two are never an imposition! In fact, if you want you can stay for dinner! Tamaki loves you two after all, he would be delighted."

"That would be nice, but I already made plans with Nemuri and Hizashi, next time." Eri has wiggled out of his grasp and has started finger combing his hair.

"Uncle Hizashi and Aunt Nemuri are coming to visit? Are we doing makeovers again?!" Groaning, Shouta remembers the last makeover day, he ended up with his hair dyed blue and nail polish that wouldn't come off with the regular remover. Though they did put Toshi in a leather jacket with the tips of his hair dyed black. They had a fun that night.

"No, it wouldn't be fair to have a makeover day without Toshi. They are just stopping by to drop off food, since Papa is the one who normally cooks."

They both look fairly presentable now. Eri runs and hugs Lemillion goodbye. He lifts her up and swings her around a few times, as he walks them to the door. "Let me know if you two need anything, anytime, day or night. You're not alone in this, we're here for you." Smiling, he pulls them into one more hug.

"I'll keep that in mind. Tell Amajiki we said hello." They say their final goodbyes and Shouta takes Eri back home.


	4. Chapter 4

Arriving home without Toshi was rough on both of them. Eri ends up crying when she realizes her Papa won't be there anymore. Shouta holds her through her tears and lets out a few of his own. Even with all her strength and optimism, she's still a kid who lost one of her fathers. This isn't going to be easy, but they'll get through it. He has faith in that now.

They both jump when the door is kicked open and Hizashi yells out "Hello ladies and gentlemen! How's our little diva tonight?"

"Uncle Hizashi!" Eri is quick to wipe her eyes on her sleeve so she can hug the voice hero.

"We brought food like promised!" Midnight lets herself in to set down the food. After her arms are free, she quickly steals Eri from Hizashi. "Don't hog her all to yourself!"

They do a good job of cheering Eri up through the night. Hizashi puts his talk-show skills to use and spins stories through most of dinner. After dinner they watch some of Eri's favorite movies that Nemuri brought. Shouta's content to let his friends do all the heavy lifting in cheering up Eri. It lets him think that even without Toshinori, him and his daughter might find a way to pull through. Especially with all the people they have supporting them in their life. They aren't alone anymore. He's not alone anymore.

That fleeting thought has him wondering if Toshi planned it this way. Planned it so that when he passed on from his illness, Shouta wouldn't be alone. The more he thinks about it, the more his suspicion grows.

His husband was always going out of his way to invite people into their lives and make sure any old connections held firm. It explains why more and more of his former students come by every now and then. He always thought it was to see All Might, but more often then not, Toshi would drag them into a long conversation with Shouta. If his husband ever caught wind of a social gathering, he would convince Shouta to go for the food. Somehow, instead of eating, the eraser hero found himself surrounded by the other heroes rehashing old stories from UA, when All Might hinted at his great exploits.

That's exactly what his idiot husband was doing. Trying to save Shouta and Eri from the pain of his death. Building a safety net, that they could fall back on. It leaves a bad taste in Shouta's mouth. That Toshi thought he needed to be protected in such a way. From his own grief. It annoys Shouta that it worked so well.

But at the same time, Shouta's so unbelievably grateful. He loves his meddlesome husband so much.

By the time he's back to paying attention to his surroundings, the movie they were all watching has rolled to a close. Time slipped by while he was lost in his thoughts. Leaning against his shoulder, his daughter is already half asleep. Fondly, he kisses the top of her head and takes her to bed.

Hizashi and Nemuri wait around for him to come back from tucking in his daughter. Shouta already decided that he wasn't going to take any days off. Eri was also adamant about going back to school as well, saying that her Papa wouldn't want her to fall behind.

"Before we head out, I just wanted to give you an update on the All Might situation." Now that it's just the three of them, Present Mic went back to more tame speaking patterns. "Nezu has set him up in the dorms. Gave All Might the excuse that he never provided them a proper address."

Guilt wells up in Shouta. "Shit, I wasn't even thinking. I kicked Toshi out of his home. I should have just told him about us."

"Shouta, you have to stop worrying so much, he can stay in the dorms for as long as he needs. It's not like Nezu is going to kick him out." Midnight reprimands him with a quick flick to his ear. "Quit overthinking things. You did what you thought was best at the time."

Present Mic throws an arm around Shouta. "He's also headed to Might Tower tomorrow. I'm sure they can set him up with anything he needs."

"I'll go pack him some of this things as well. Can you drop it off at the principal's office tomorrow?" They'll arrive at UA earlier than he will, since he has to take Eri to school first. With that, Shouta takes off toward their shared bedroom, ready to grab anything his husband might need.

"Whoa! Hold on there!" Hizashi is quick to grab onto Shouta's arm. "Be careful what you pack, okay? It'll be weird if his favorite pair of shoes shows up, when no one is supposed to know where his house is."

"Huh, I didn't know you had a brain under all that hair gel." The eraser hero gives a devious grin as he twists away from his friend. Darting off to pack for his husband. Midnights laughter and Present Mic's angry yell following in his wake.

When he returns the blond's anger has cooled and he only lightly punches Shouta's shoulder, as he hands Hizashi the duffel bag. "Last thing before we head out, All Might is going to do a press conference announcing his return. Nezu convinced him to wait at least a week to announce it. We think it's because Nezu wants time to charm All Might into being a teacher again, but it also gives the big guy some time to adjust to society before rocking straight back into hero work. That gives you a week to tell him anything you need to, before he goes back to being the untouchable Symbol of Peace again."

"No pressure, right?" The joke falls flat. Shouta blames his queasy stomach. A week wasn't enough time to become All Might's friend, let alone lover, but maybe it could be a start. He was hoping to build something new with Toshi. Since All Might is never getting his memories back, there's no need to put those extra expectations on a fledgling relationship. It's the most logical course of action.

But with only a week, he'll have to adjust those plans. He has to tell his husband about Eri. But would it be best to tell Toshi about their relationship at the same time? Or should he give the taller hero time to adjust to the roll of a father first? Shaking his head, he decides that he's too wound up right now to make a decision. He'll make a list of pros and cons later.

"Maybe a little bit of pressure" Nemuri gives him a hug, Hizashi joining in. Shouta walks them to the door, and they say their goodbyes.

Once back inside, Shouta lets out an exhausted sigh. All he wants to do is curl up and sleep this awful day off. Instead he walks over to the kitchen to clean up the dishes. Halfway through cleaning his third plate, he notices their bento boxes, piled in the corner. He frowns at them. Toshi would always make them a lunch for the day. It can't be that hard. He'll do a practice run now, so that he can make it for Eri in the morning.

That's how Shouta ends up spending the rest of the night watching cooking videos and attempting to mimic them. Conveniently forgetting that there's a reason he lived off juice packets before his husband came into his life.

His night starts off with a melted spatula left in the pan too long. Then the wooden spoon burnt and caught on fire. Any ingredients he had on hand quickly ran out, only to be sacrificed to the trash in an ever-growing pile of failed attempts. Needless to say, Shouta had to make multiple trips to the convenience store throughout the night.

He's just thankful he hasn't sets off the fire alarms and that Eri's room is upstairs and the furthest away from the kitchen. He would have hated to wake her with all the ruckus he was making.

Shouta doesn't have any better luck chopping the vegetables. Blades were never his forte, even on the battlefield, so it's no surprise that his knife skills are atrocious as well. A little past two in the morning, a video lets him know that there is a proper way to hold a knife. His hands are already covered in blisters and small cuts. He lets out a frustrated growl and watches a few videos on correct knife handling skills.

Some of the words used in the recipes make no sense to Shouta either. He ends up having to look up and research half the terms used. He doesn't understand why they need to call cutting up something long and thin, a 'julienne' cut. Just tell him to cut it into small strips and be done with it. And for that matter, why is 'a pinch' even a form of measurement?

Anything fried is quickly given up on. He can never tell when it's cooked. The result is a nice brown but raw shrimp or veggies, outside is burnt to a crisp but the inside is perfect, everything is undercooked, or everything is burnt. Shouta wasn't expecting the oil to splash back at him, which caused him to jerk back and spill half the tempura batter over himself. In anger he pours the rest of the batter and oil down the sink. Later, that night he learns that you should never pour oil down the drain. He hopes he didn't ruin their drains.

The eggs were the worst part. The videos make it look so easy. Just drop the egg in the pan, let it sit, roll and repeat. The damn thing broke apart or burnt every time. After figuring out his problem was the pan size, he was eventually able to get an egg completed, with only mildly charred edges.

It's much later when by some miracle, he is able to produce his first completed bento box. The sausage octopus look like molting spiders, curled in on themselves. They cooked almost to the point of no return. The vegetables are soggy and limp. The cat he attempted to make out of rice is missing an ear. The egg is probably edible, if only a bit charred. There's still time though, he can make another. He sets the failed one down, it would make a decent guide to where he went wrong.

"Dad? What are you doing?"

Eri's sudden voice has him franticly looking over at their All Might clock. He should still have a little over an hour before Eri is scheduled to wake up. Did he have it wrong? He was always the last to get up from bed, but he always thought Toshi woke up first.

"You… made a bento?" She's looking right at his monstrosity of a bento. His stomach drops. Eri looks up from the bento, to the mess that was once their kitchen. He doesn't know why he even tried. He should have just made a sandwich. He could never fill Toshi's shoes.

Feeling he has to say something to appease his daughter, he says "That one's the first attempt. I was going to try again." He regrets saying it as soon as it leaves his mouth. Because Eri's eyes are on him now.

He must look like a mess. Batter spilt over himself from the tempura. His sleeves are rolled up, so she can see the little cuts and burns littering his hands and arms. No sleep. It makes him wonder how bloodshot his eyes are.

"There's no need to, this one is perfect." Moving forward, she gives her dad a hug. "I was actually getting up to do the same thing. I can take care of the cooking if you want. I've been helping Papa with all the meals. I loved watching him cook when I was younger. He eventually let me help out with the chopping and we just sort of went from there." She's smiling fondly at the memory.

Even though her words about his bento aren't true, they help to calm his growing self-loathing. "How did I miss you two always cooking together?"

She lets out a giggle. "Papa used to call our cooking time 'get out of Dad's hair while he grades.' You always seem to give out more homework then Papa and you never trusted his grading, so you always looked over his work as well."

"I guess it doesn't help that I've been banned from the kitchen, as well."

"I can see why though. You made a mess Dad! No wonder Papa got so fired up whenever you got near the kitchen."

He blushes at the memory his daughter's words invoke. Toshi banned him early on in their relationship. As proven tonight, he has terrible luck in the kitchen, though that wasn't the main reason he was banned. The main reason was because he kept trying to seduce Toshi whenever he was cooking. Which in turn, caused a few small fires and his husband got sick of wasting food. In his defense, Toshi was adorable in his All Might themed apron.

"Okay, I'll gladly let you do the cooking, kitten. But I'm not letting you eat that bento. It's nice of you to offer, but I don't want you getting sick." Shouta quickly grabs the bento and tosses the contents of it. "If you really want me to, I can try to make you another."

"Maybe another day, you need extra time to get ready. I'm pretty sure there's batter in your hair. While you get ready, I'll make our lunch." Eri rolls up her sleeves and starts aggressively cleaning the kitchen.

Following his daughter's directions, he gets ready for class. Tiredness is creeping up on him. He hope he can survive the day. It's been a long time since he's pulled an all-nighter like that. Class shouldn't be too bad; he's already expelled a few students this semester and the rest of the class is shaping up nicely.

By the time he finishes, Eri is ready for school, has the kitchen cleaned up, and there are three bento boxes prepared to go.

"You made one for Toshi?" He's looking at the bento that's wrapped in a bunny print. Shouta winces, at the look of sadness crosses over Eri's face. He needs to be more careful with what he blurts out.

"I guess I forgot, but at least you can offer it to him! They say a way to a man's heart is through his stomach! Oh, but maybe you shouldn't? His bento is made for his old self." Toshi had a very limited diet, but he always found creative ways to make it work for him.

"If your worried, I can eat Toshi's and give him mine. I feel like a lighter lunch today anyway." His daughter gives him a big simile as they leave the house together.

The trip to Eri's school doesn't take long. Shouta stays just long enough to make sure she makes it into the building before heading off to UA. She's in control of her powers enough to go to a normal middle school. But it still worries him to have her so far away, even if a few pro heroes make sure that Eri's school is part of their patrol.

Shouta manages to arrive in the teacher's lounge some time before his class started. He makes a beeline for his chair collapsing into it and hiding his face in his arms. He's so tired. His body is heavy with fatigue. The other teachers mulling about and getting ready for their respective classes. He tries to drudge up the will to ask one of them to make him coffee, but his body refuses to move.

A light clink chimes out in front of him and the smell of coffee wafts over him. Someone must have taken pity on him. Shouta groans in pleasure at the smell, lifting his head up just enough to see his familiar cat mug staring back at him. With the rest of his strength he lifts his head the necessary few inches to say thanks to his savoir.

A jolt goes through him and he can feel his heart stop for a second. Of course it's All Might. "Good morning hero! I'm sorry if I woke you, but you looked like you needed some caffeine. I am happy to have caught you before Principal Nezu took me to Might Tower. I wanted to give you my thanks for yesterday. It would have been a mess without your quick thinking and…"

Shouta stops listening. He's too tired for this. He buries himself back in his cocoon of his arms. All Might continues to ramble, but the sound is soothing. He's not so booming today, more like how Toshi used to be. The voice washes over him and lulls him into a light doze.

A gentle squeeze on his shoulder by a large hand startles him from his slumber. "Nezu's here to pick me up, he let me know your class should be starting soon. I'll hopefully get to talk to you again when you're more awake hero!" The large hero starts walking toward the door.

"Shouta." It's irritating that All Might hasn't used his name once. Hasn't even asked for Shouta's name yet. Just refers to him as 'hero.'

All Might turns back to Shouta. "I'm sorry hero, I didn't quite catch that!"

Lifting his head and moving to look at All Might, Shouta wrinkles his nose in mild annoyance. "My name, it's Shouta Aizawa. If you're comfortable with it, call me Shouta. We were close, before."

A light dusting of pink starts to grow over All Might's face. "Of Course! I'll be sure to remember it," The taller hero is suddenly fidgeting, and he nervously swipes his tongue over his lips. "Farewell, Sh-Shouta!" All Might then makes a quick retreat following after the principle.

Shouta can feel himself smiling at his husband's antics. He knew Toshi was shy, but he never thought All Might was the same way. Lightly, he traces the cat ears on the rim of his mug. The coffee has gone cold by now. It's black, just how he likes it. All Might isn't supposed to have any residual memories from his time as Toshinori. But then why did he pick out this mug for Shouta?

Scoffing at his rising hope, Shouta pushes it down. It's the cutest mug in the bunch. All Might probably got it because he liked it. The black coffee is a no brainer as well, it's logical to give a stranger plain coffee at first, so they can add what they want if needed. Downing his cold coffee, Shouta gathers up what he needs for his next class and heads out of the teacher's lounge.

He hopes Eri can forgive him for screwing up their second meeting. He can't believe he fell asleep during All Might's thank you mid-sentence.


	5. Chapter 5

It was surreal how normal the rest of the day went.

A few of Shouta's students tried to ask about his stormy mood, but he quickly shut them down. They shouldn't be distracted by his problems. Deciding that endurance training would be the best method of keeping their attention on hero work and off of him, Shouta works his students into the ground. By the end of class, they can barely stand.

He feels a little bad for working them so hard. The teachers are all chipping in to take over All Might's old classes, until a more permanent solution presents itself. Hopefully Cementoss will go easy on them.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he heads back to the teacher's lounge.

Nezu has requested that he turn in a report on his events of the All Might incident yesterday. He also has to update the heroes who weren't in the meeting. Between doing that and classes, Shouta was only able to get in few power naps. Just enough to be functional.

Sometime during lunch, Tsukauchi sends Shouta a message asking if he wants to press charges against Riki. That as a witness to the crime and as All Might's husband it is fully within his rights to do so. The detective added that he's only asking because All Might decided to be lenient as long as Riki promises to ask before using his quirk in the future.

Shouta sees red. He shouldn't be mad at his idiot husband for this, but he is. There's not a chance in the seven layers of hell that Shouta is letting that asshole Riki get away with ripping his life into pieces and making his daughter cry. He lets Tsukauchi know as much and sends him a copy of the report he finished for Nezu. Tells him to keep in touch, especially if he needs anything else.

Since he can't vent his frustrations by lecturing All Might, he's already formulating new lessons for his students; Ones that let them know a sob story does not give someone the right to villainy. And that a fucking promise is not good enough. People lie. A hero with a bleeding heart has the potential to be just as dangerous as a villain.

Midnight and Present Mic casually sit beside him, when they notice Shouta's control of his quirk slipping. Not bothering to hide it form them, he vents his frustration to his two oldest friends. It helps. All Might wouldn't have known about the consequences of what the quirk did to Shouta. It's not rational to be mad at someone for not knowing. And the asshole is going to be properly tried. Even if it's just for using his quirk without a license on a hero.

Shouta can't help but let out a satisfied smirk at the thought. Punishments for using a quirk on another civilian can usually be lessened. But using one on a hero or police officer? That carried a heavy penalty to it. It's not the revenge he wants, but he'll take what he can get. Sometimes it sucked being a hero, unable to rip your enemy's entrails out.

Shaking himself out of his daydream, Shouta shares the extra bento Eri made with his friends. No use in it going to waste, since he didn't have a chance to give it to All Might before he left for Might Tower. If she makes another, he'll try again tomorrow.

When the day is finally over, he heads straight to Eri's school. She's dutifully waiting for him just inside the school gates, chatting with Mount Lady. Shouta scares off a few reports circling around the school gates with a dark scowl. They've learned over the years to run if they see him coming.

He hates that his daughter has an All Might size target on her back. Villains have always been an issue, but growing up in UA, constantly surrounded by heroes, a tragic backstory, and a powerful quirk have turned her into a celebrity. To top it off, after him and Toshi started dating, she was always seen with All Might. The media instantly latched onto the idea that All Might had been the one to adopt her. They portray her as a princess, heiress to the Symbol of Peace, with the other heroes as her vigilant knights.

The media's attention on that kept Shouta neatly in the background. Just another hero, seen with the pair more often then not, because the two adults work so closely together. He should have corrected them, hid his daughter away like he's done for himself all these years. But it's too late. Now she can't even walk to and from school without a hero escort.

Eri spots him, waves goodbye to Mount Lady and they head home together. Though they do stop to pick up some more ingredients on the way home. The shop keeper gives Shouta a raised eyebrow, remembering the dark haired man from his many trips the night before. An embarrassed pink spreads along the hero's face as he rushes his daughter through the store.

When they do make it back home, Eri cooks dinner for them. The food turns out to be just as good as Toshi's. When she asks if her Papa is ready to meet her yet, he lets her know about All Might's field trip. He vows that by the end of tomorrow, he'll talk to All Might about her. Satisfied, the rest of dinner is spent talking about her many class projects.

The next day, Shouta still hasn't managed to get enough sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Toshi. Uncertainty crept back in, keeping his mind from slowing enough for sleep. The bed still smelled like his husband and made everything feel wrong. Not having long limbs in between his own, he couldn't even get comfortable. He tried moving to the couch and was able to get a few hours of sleep, before Eri woke him up for breakfast.

Too lazy to deal with his hair, Shouta throws it up in a messy half bun. Walking Eri to school that day, he felt like a zombie. He has to stop at coffee shop on the way to school, too scared that he'll pass out before me makes it to UA.

As Shouta makes it to the teacher's lounge, a booming laugh fills up the room. All Might is chatting with a few of the other teachers. Shouta briefly debates on if it's worth facing the Number One Hero's bright personality this early in the morning. He could just take his sleeping bag and retreat for a quick pre-class nap.

Eri's disappointed face flutters through his mind.

Letting out a long sign, the eraser hero slinks over to All Might. The other teachers start to excuse themselves as they notice Shouta's approach. Giving him and the tall hero some semblance of privacy.

"All Might." Shit. Shout wasn't expecting the intensity in All Might's electric blue eyes. It's overwhelming. But thankfully doesn't last long, blue fades just as quickly as it appeared. Shouta lets out a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Sho-Aizawa! Good Morning!" All Might reaches out and gives Shouta's shoulder a soft squeeze.

The sudden name change makes Shouta scrunch his nose in annoyance. Before he's able to say as much, All Might is wrenching his hand away from Shouta's shoulders. Hard enough to jerk the eraser hero forward a step. The taller hero quickly clasps his hands behind his back.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to grab you. I don't know what came over me." His face is flushed red and he refuses to meet Shouta's eyes. He's about to let All Might know that he doesn't mind. That there's no need to be embarrassed. It's easy to assume that it was an American thing, not quite lost yet from his time in the States. Secretly, he loves the touch, because it's like Toshinori never left him.

Once again, All Might barrels through, not giving Shouta a chance to respond. "I'll just be going now; I have a meeting with Nezu. Goodbye Aizawa!"

Before Shouta can blink, the Symbol of Peace has disappeared from the room.

What. The. Fuck.

Did he smell? He took a shower this morning, brushed his teeth, and he's in clean clothes. Did he offend All Might yesterday? Everything seemed fine, the tall hero even left the room calling him Shouta. Did he scare him off by being too forward?

He stands frozen in place. A million thoughts continue to flow through his head about what he could have possibly done, that would cause the strongest man alive to flee his presence like a bat out of hell.

A hand whacks him on the back, forcefully grounding him back in reality. "It's okay Sho! I'm sure All Might's just busy. You can catch him later!" Hizashi gives him a few lighter pats, the universal 'there, there.'

And Shouta does try again later. The problem was, every time he approached All Might, the other hero was swift to make an exit.

Before class, Shouta catches All Might in front of his homeroom, giving encouragements to the students still in the hero course. It's nice seeing him so happy. Once Shouta is in a respectable range he calls out All Might's name once again.

When All Might turns to see who called his name, his smile faulters for a second. "Oh! I'm sorry, you must want to start your class! I'll head off now! Wouldn't want to be a distraction for these young heroes!"

Shouta reaches out to try and stop him from taking off again, but his hand only grab around air. The blond hero is already turning a corner down the hall. Rejection start to pull in his gut. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he goes inside to start class.

In between classes, he spots All Might, talking to Midnight. Unfortunately, before he can even get close, All Might spots him. The large man makes a few wild jesters and then is gone again. Shouta steps over next to Nemuri. "What was that about? He left so quickly."

"Not sure. The big guy was half way through telling me a story, then he's muttering some bullshit excuse about a 'thing' he forgot to do."

"I think he might be avoiding me. Do you think someone told him? About us, I mean?" He gestures between himself and where All Might once stood. The nagging suspicion has been growing since this morning. That All Might didn't want to confront him, because his husband has already decided to reject him and his daughter.

And frankly, Shouta doesn't want what they have to be over. He didn't even get a chance yet to try and win Toshi back.

"I don't think anyone would tell him. At least not without telling you first. Though it is a little suspicious. I'll see what I can find out." She gives Shouta a sly look with a wink. He nudges his shoulder to hers in thanks and then heads off to finish up some paperwork.

By the time his last class rolls around with his students. Shouta's agitation is at an all time high. He ran into All Might a few more times throughout the day, each time the other hero vanished before Shouta could even think about getting close.

Shouta decides to take full advantage of the freedom that comes with being a teacher at UA. Instead of teaching his class a gen ed course, that was scheduled for the current time slot, he took them out to the field instead. He had everyone change into their gym clothes, not wanting to get their uniforms dirty. His students look a little perplexed when they meet him out on the field, and he's also in different clothes, with his capture weapon nowhere to be seen.

A manic grin splits across his face as he lets his class know, that he will be personally testing their hand to hand combat skills today. To make sure they do their best and for a bit of fun, he adds in that anyone who does poorly will be expelled.

And then, Shouta is in motion. It's an old song and dance. Though his movements aren't as fluid as they once were. Injuries over the years making his joints stiff and the last few days of little to no sleep, were not helping. But that doesn't stop him, he can easily take on a group of first years, still unused to fighting without their quirks.

He dodges a punch, retaliates with a kick. Spins out of the way of a hand trying to grapple him. Leaps into the air to get some distance. He feels a prickling on the back of his neck. Instantly, he lands in a defensive stance looking around wildly for the threat that set off his instincts. He has to protect his students. There. In the walkway, between the towers, stands a familiar blond figure.

Shouta can feel more then see the power behind All Might's eyes, drowning him. He's not sure if he likes how powerless he feels when they lock eyes. Toshinori never made him feel like that.

A kick to his gut sends Shouta flying. Shit. He was distracted. Glaring at the student who kicked him, he flings himself back into fray. Irritated, Shouta hits a little harder then necessary. He distantly thinks that maybe he should take a day off, if he can't control his own emotions. He throws a student who tries to punch him. But he doesn't want to be alone to wallow. A quick sweep with his leg to knock another student over. Everything is just, frustrating him lately. Dodges another fist and elbows the offender in the stomach. He'll do what he does with everything else, push it down and ignore it.

When Shouta is finally satisfied, his students once again, are struggling to pick themselves off the ground. Though, this time Shouta has a few bruises to show for it as well.

Knowing he shouldn't, but doing it anyway, Shouta takes a look up at where All Might once stood. The spot is empty, All Might once again gone.

Sighing, Shouta runs a hand through his hair. It comes to a stop half way through. He forgot he put it up today. But, something about his hair is nagging at the back of his mind.

Oh.

This is the same hair style Toshi's master used to wear. When Shouta wears his hair like this, he looks incredibly similar to her. He can't believe he forgot. No wonder All Might didn't want to be around him today. It must have been painful to look at Aizawa and see only his master. Quickly, he takes the offending hair tie out and stuffs it in his utility belt.

He's running out of time. It's only been two days, but if they keep going in this direction, he's never going to be able to tell All Might about Eri. Tomorrow, even if he has to tie All Might down, Shouta will make him listen.

Satisfied with his plan, Shouta finishes up his work and heads home. Bakugo and Midoriya are picking Eri up today and staying over for dinner. He's looking forward to seeing them. They'll both provide a much needed distraction.


	6. Chapter 6

When Shouta walks into the door, Bakugo is already in the kitchen angerly chopping away. Shouta can't help but wonder if his fiery passion ever settles down. Shaking his head, he goes to sit on the couch with Eri and Midoriya. They are playing some type of fighting game.

The first thing Eri does is ask about All Might. Sighing, Shouta gives her the excuse that her Papa was busy today.

Luckily, anymore questions were derailed by Midoriya. "Oh! Speaking of All Might, I still need to get in touch with him. He'll probably want to know he has a successor. Though I wonder if he'll still pass on his quirk. Don't you think it would be amazing if he kept it? He wouldn't need to pass it on, since…"

A shout comes from the kitchen, "Nerd, your rambling again!"

"Heh, sorry! Oh Eri, let me show you this cool combo!" Attention refocused on the game, the two play until dinner, while Shouta catches up on grading.

During dinner the two pro heroes let him know about the different villains they captured. Shouta keeps them updated on his class. Bakugo likes to know who 'the new cannon fodder' will be and to see if any of them are worth joining his agency. It's a little lonely without Toshi. But Midoriya does a good job of filling in for All Might.

After dinner, Midoriya pulls out a surprise for Eri. Everything needed to make candied apples. They excitedly run off to make them in the kitchen. Smiling at their enthusiasm, Shouta returns to his grading.

"You look like shit." Bakugo sits in a chair next to him.

"No, please tell me how you really feel." Shouta rolls his eyes at Bakugo's brash statement.

"I mean it. Aw, shit I'm not good at this." Bakugo rubs the back of his head in frustration, looking for the right words. "Look, Midoriya is worried about you, and when Midoriya is worried about something he won't shut up about it. Ergo, once again I have to clean up whatever is upsetting him."

"I'm glad you care so much about my wellbeing." Sarcasm is dripping from his voice. Letting out a small sigh, Shouta looks up at his former student. "I haven't been sleeping well. Everything here reminds me of Toshinori, and it's been… stressful."

"Then go sleep in the fucking teachers lounge. I would suggest the dorms, but I'm sure they got rid of your old room by now."

"But, Eri-"

"Don't worry, we can take care of the brat for one night. I'll even do her the honor of taking her to school tomorrow."

Shouta was able to sleep without trouble when taking the few cat naps at school. The teachers lounge might actually be a great solution. He'll have to get used to sleeping at home without Toshinori, but he can focus on accomplishing that later. He needs sleep if he's going to settle his irrational emotions and clear his head.

"Thank you, I'll take you up on that." Eyes narrowing and voice suddenly turning stern "Watch your language around her Bakugo. I don't want her mimicking your bad habits. Last time we left her in your care, she ended up yelling like a drunk sailor at a pervert on the train. Not to mention she pulled some very questionable moves on him, which I don't remember her instructors teaching her. We were so proud of her for stopping a poor girl from getting harassed, but Toshi almost lost his other lung he was coughing so hard from the embarrassment."

"Hah? It's not my fault her dumbass teachers aren't showing her how to hit them where it hurts." Crossing his arms, Bakugo throws his feet on the coffee table in front of him.

"Feet off the table. Just try and restrain yourself a little. I feel a little better because Midoriya is here, but I know how you two feed off each other. Don't turn training Eri into a competition." Hoping he's not making a mistake leaving Eri in their care, he goes to check on the two in the kitchen.

"Why are you making over twenty candied apples?" The countertop is filled with brightly colored apples. Too many for his daughter to eat by herself. Though it looks like she already had a few, judging by the leftover cores.

"Well, I didn't know what kind Eri would like the best! So, I just brought a variety, I guess we got a little carried away…" Midoriya is looking away from his former teacher, nervously scratching his chin.

"Don't worry Dad! I'll take the extras to my class tomorrow. They won't go to waste!" Affectionately, Shouta wipes away a stray bit of candy coating on his daughter's cheek. She looks so precious with her colorful cat themed apron and her hair tied up into a bun.

"Keep a few of the All Might colored ones, I'm sure Toshinori will enjoy them." Shouta could tell that Eri and Midoriya put a lot of work into those apples. Red, White, and blue, with All Might's signature rabbit-eared hairstyle on the top. Shouta should be fed-up with how much All Might themed items are in his house, but he indulges his husband's love for all things All Might. It reminds Toshi of all he's accomplished, how many people he's inspired. Anything that raises his husband's spirits is a good thing in Shouta's opinion.

"Okay! I'll pack a few for you for your bento tomorrow."

"You'll have to give it to Midoriya or Bakugo to deliver. They are going to stay with you tonight, I have some business to take care of. Are you okay staying with them Eri?" Shouta always gives his daughter the option, if she doesn't want him to leave, he won't.

"I'll be fine! It's nothing dangerous is it?" Eri looks uncommonly worried about her dad leaving. It's hard to believe that it's only been a few days since Toshi's transformation. Eri must be worried about losing her other parent.

"No, nothing dangerous. If you don't want me to go, I can stay." Even without sleep, he'll manage somehow.

Shaking her head, she says, "It's okay, I just wanted to make sure. Love you and be safe!" She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek and a hug goodbye.

"Love you too, kitten." Shouta says his farewells to Midoriya and Bakugo, reminding Bakugo to mind his tongue and then heads off to UA.

Fortunately, the trains were still running, letting Shouta make good time to UA. Just inside the gates, he looks up at the tall building. Old and familiar, just what he needs to forget the harsh turn his life has taken. The dynamic duo can take care of Eri, he has nothing to worry about.

Before he could enter the building, a familiar melody pulled him away from the door. He followed the sound like a sailor to a siren's call. Followed it all the way to one of UA's small courtyards. He knew that song.

Toshi would sing to it every time it came on, looking at Shouta with the most dopey love filled expression he could muster. At least until Shouta kicked him in the shin, face flushed with embarrassment. It always caused his husband to laugh in glee, that he could still make the stoic eraser hero blush after all these years.

Their wedding song.

Shouta already knew who it would be at the end of that melody. But he couldn't stop himself from moving toward it if he tried. Sure enough, All Might was sitting on one of the stone benches, in cargo pants and a white shirt, the source of the melody.

Angry tears prick at the edge of his eyes. Why does All Might have to constantly torture him like this? He knows Toshi picked their wedding song, he knows it had sentimental value to him, but this is too much. He takes a deep breath and wills the tears away. It's not All Might's fault, he doesn't know.

Shouta must have made some noise, because the tune abruptly cuts off. Surprise is written on All Might's face as he looks over to find Shouta standing there. The large hero starts to stand. "Hello! I wasn't expecting anyone to be out here so late! Sorry if I disturbed you, I'll just-"

Before All Might can make another escape, Shouta activates his quirk and his capture weapon is secured around the large frame. It wasn't the hair then. Damnit. He'll just have to push through, no matter the reason, All Might's need to not offend anyone should keep him in place.

"You don't have to run off, I was just coming by to finish up some work. Herd the noise and wanted to make sure a student wasn't slipping out past curfew." The lie slips easily out of his lips. Debating with himself, the Eraser hero gingerly pulls back his capture weapon. Only dropping his quirk after he's sure All Might is not going to run off again. "Sorry, for the rough treatment, I just didn't want you thinking you had to leave on my account, and we haven't had a chance to really talk yet."

"Yes! Of course." All Might gives a weak smile sitting back down on the stone bench. Shouta takes a moment to admire him. From the way his tight shirt clings to the curve of his muscles to the red tips of his ears and flushed face from the chilly night. Frowning, he wonders how long the blond has been out here for. He's healthy again, but that doesn't mean he can't get sick. He'll try to keep this quick, so All Might can get back indoors.

Hands in his pockets, Shouta walks closer to All Might, and sits neatly next to the larger hero. His promise to Eri flashes through his mind, this is the perfect opportunity. Though it's best to ease into conversation first, with how much of a flight risk All Might is right now. "How's the future been treating you?"

A look of surprises passes All Might's face. Shouta's wonders if anyone has actually asked All Might how he feels about this whole situation. "It's strange. I never thought I would live as long as I did. Long enough to retire. I'm so proud of the young heroes who've stepped up to become the new symbols of peace. I don't want to take that from them, but I also don't want to give up hero work."

"I doubt anyone would be mad at you for that. Everyone loves you All Might. Though you'll have a hard time gaining your number one spot back. Those kids won't go down easy." Shouta can't help the devious smile that grows. He's proud of the hero's he trained.

There's a sharp intake of breath next to him. He looks up to see the other hero turning away from him quickly and looking at the sky. Narrowing his eyes at All Might, he looks for any telltale signs of anything wrong. It's hard to pick out anything in the darkness so he lets it go for now.

Shouta curls up a little in the cold night air. He wasn't expecting to stay out in the elements for so long. "Hey All Might, did someone tell you about Shigaraki?" He doesn't take his eyes off All Might. It's a good way to gauge how he will react to learning about Eri, by seeing what he thinks of Shigaraki first.

"Ah, yes. Nezu told me everything he knew while we were at Might Tower. He thought it would be better if I had some privacy. He also showed me my final battle. I have to say; it was rather shocking." All Might gets a faraway look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, that couldn't have been easy for you to see." Shouta reaches a hand out and gently rubs All Might's arm. It's warm. He forgot how hot his husband could run. As subtly as he can, he inches closer to the other hero, wanting to get closer to that warmth.

All Might lets out a small laugh. "It wasn't. But at least all my biggest demons have been defeated. All for One has been defeated. Shigaraki is recovering. I wanted to visit him, but the doctors he's working with didn't think it was a good idea. That it might never be a good idea for me to see him."

"Don't worry about that, the hero Deku is working with him as well. You should talk to Deku, Izuku Midoriya, he might surprise you." Knowing that All Might hasn't had contact with Midoriya, Shouta hopes holding the bait of Shigaraki will get the larger hero in contact with his successor faster.

It seems like All Might wants to help with his master's grandson. It would open him up to a point of weakness. Just as having a daughter would. Maybe, All Might isn't as against to having connections after being so forcefully dragged from his time. Shouta had to make sure. He couldn't take any chances when it came to Eri. He steels himself, Eri wants her Papa to know about her. Now is just as good as anytime to tell him. Though it's going to be awkward to tell him while sitting so close to the other man. Just when he has enough courage to tell the other about Eri, All Might speaks up again.

"I'm looking forward to meeting young Midoriya! I saw him during a few of the video's Nezu showed me. You were very brave during the USJ fight. I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner."

Mention of the USJ throws Shouta. He can't believe Nezu showed All Might that. "You've already apologized for that and once again, it's unnecessary. I just hope that you've taken some wisdom from your older self." One can only pray that All Might learns some self-control before he ends up breaking himself again.

"I'll do my best! Now let's go back inside, you're starting to shiver." All Might stands and easily pulls Shouta to his feet as well.

"Wait, All Might! Please." Shouta doesn't know when another chance will pop up, with just him and All Might alone. He has to tell the other hero now, or he will lose his nerve. He grabs onto All Might's arm to prevent any escape he might make. "You have a daughter." He blurts it out. There's no taking it back now.

All Might freezes. His whole body stiff as a board and his eyes wide as saucers. "Wh-What?"

Immediately, Shouta's hackles rise. Any non-positive reaction is a bad reaction right now.

He lets go of All Might's arm like it burns. "Don't get any idiotic idea's like your teacher when she gave up her child. I know you want to follow as closely in her footsteps as possible. But I swear, if you even think of abandoning Eri, I will personally dismember you, slowly."

His expression must have turned positively vicious, because All Might backs up a little, giving him distance from Shouta. The back of the stone bench hits his legs and he all but falls back onto it. His hands are in constant motion, moving from his hair, to his face, and then down to grip the top of his knees. After a few minutes of trying to form words he asks, "I- is the mother?"

The question calms Shouta a fraction. This would be shocking news for anyone, and Shouta's not thinking clearly on such little sleep. It helps that All Might doesn't seem to be rejecting the idea of Eri. "There is no mother, she's adopted. Saved from villains."

All Might looks up at the mention of villains. "Is she okay!?"

Shouta's never seen him this disheveled, almost frantic. It helps the rest of the tension in his shoulders melt away. He doesn't like to see his husband this distressed. "That was years ago, she's so strong now Toshi." Moving he sits close to Toshinori, moving to rub a hand along his back. The other man has always taken comfort from physical touch. "She's also protected. There's not a child alive who is as safe as she is. A lot of the pro heroes are very fond of her."

It seems his efforts are working, Toshi's frantic movements are slowing. "I'm sorry for putting so much pressure on you Toshi. You can take the time you need to process this. It's a lot to take in."

His next words feel like acid in his mouth. "And If you truly think that a daughter will be too much of a risk for you, you don't have to see her. You have a choice in this. But if you do want to meet-"

"I want to meet her!" All Might seems to have gotten ahold of himself. Shouta puts some distance between them on the bench. "Please, I never thought I would have a family. This is more than I could have ever hope for." His voice sounds broken, almost as if he's scared that Shouta will say no.

"I'll make the arrangements then. I have to let Eri know, she'll need time to prepare. So not tomorrow, but the next day. I'll bring her to UA. Now if you excuse me, I'm freezing and I'm going to head inside." Shouta pulls a piece of paper and a pen out of his belt. "Here's my number. Let me know if you have any questions."

"Thank you, Aizawa! You've given me a precious gift tonight." Shouta is engulfed in strong arms and warmth. Instead of taking the card from his outstretched hand, All Might wrapped him in a hug. His husband still smells the same. It's comforting in a way nothing else can be. Shouta _melts_. And suddenly the three days of emotional trauma and pure exhaustion catch up with him all at once. He can't keep his eyes open anymore. Doesn't even fight when oblivion takes him. There's no need to.

Because there's nowhere safer than Toshi's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

A loud crash startles Shouta, jolting him awake. He takes up a defensive stance before the haze of sleep has a chance to clear.

"S-sorry! I was trying to get some extra blanks and I tripped. I'm not used to navigating this room in the dark yet. Just let me…"

Shouta lets out a groan as the lights turn on, temporarily blinding him. "God damnit Toshi, warn a guy, will you?" His voice is rough from sleep. Looking over at the clock, the glowing numbers let him know that it's around midnight. Letting out another groan, he flops back into the bed.

There's something uncomfortable digging into his back, forcing Shouta to sit up. His utility belt is still on. All his clothes are still on, sans boots and scarf. Was he that exhausted that he passed out in his clothes? Looking over at Toshi for answers, Shouta's eyes widen and he can feel his face heat up.

Oh.

Oh shit.

He fainted. In All Might's arms. Glancing around, Shouta can clearly make out one of the teacher's rooms in the dorms. Which means that All Might carried him here, took off his shoes, along with his capture weapon, and put Shouta in his own bed. Mortified, Shouta looks to see if there's a nearby window he can casually throw himself out of.

"Sorry again, I feel like I'm fumbling all over the place. I'm not usually this clumsy." All Might rubs the back of his neck. "But now that you're up… I have to ask if you're okay?"

Looking anywhere but at All Might, Shouta replies, "I'm fine, I just haven't been sleeping well. I'm sorry for passing out on you."

"Ah, most people faint because of my dashing good looks, not because they ran themselves to the point of exhaustion."

Snorting Shouta replies "Like you could tell the difference."

"Are you saying you fell for me?" An eyebrow raised; smirk confidently displayed. It does things to Shouta.

Deciding that question was a little too risky to answer, Shouta brings his knees up to curl himself around them. Turning his head away from All Might, trying to ignore he's even there. It's rude. But he's already in All Might's bed, so politeness at this point seems like overkill.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overstep. I asked if you're okay, because you look like you're hurting."

Frowning, he turns back to All Might. "Like I said, I'm fine. It's just a combination of my quirk and lack of sleep. You don't know me well enough to tell when I'm in pain." A harsh reminder to himself.

Making a soft hum of agreement, All Might answers, "It's true I don't know you very well, but you don't become the number one hero without knowing when someone's sad. And Aizawa, you've looked sad since the taxi, the first day we met. You sounded sad, talking to me in the courtyard. Right now, you look like you're on the verge of tears" All Might reaches a hand towards Shouta's face.

The eraser hero avoids it by hiding his face in his knees, protected by a curtain of hair. This is dangerous. His husband is too keen on saving people and Shouta doesn't want to be another one of his projects. But he has All Might here, in front of him. Willing to talk to him. He can finally get an answer to the question that's been torturing him. In a soft voice Shouta asks, "Why were you avoiding me?" He has to know.

"Oh! Well. About that! You see… " Peering from behind his hair, Shouta can see All Might trying to sputter out an excuse while his hands franticly gesturing about the air. Giving up on trying to stutter out a sentence, All Might walks closer to the bed. He falls to his knees and presses his forehead against the floor, his whole body asking for forgiveness.

Curious, Shouta moves to the edge of the bed to see what his husband was planning.

"I'm so sorry! I've been having impure thou-dreams. Thoughts and Dreams. About you. I'm so sorry! It's in no way your fault. This has never happened to me before and every time I looked at you, I couldn't stop the lewd images! My actions regarding how I treated you are unforgivable!"

Shouta blinks, once. Twice. A grin spreads across his face. "Holy shit. This is amazing." Laughter bubbles up and he lets out it. Relief, happiness, joy. Toshinori thinks he's attractive. Toshi's dick liked him enough to have a wet dream about him. He's so fucking happy right now. Tears well up in his eyes and his sides hurt from the force of his laughs.

Shouta's relationship with Toshi was slow to build. They both fell into each other's lives so gradually, that not even Shouta can pinpoint exactly when his deep affection for his husband started. It's hard to believe that maybe, it wasn't the same for Toshinori. Maybe, it was love at first sight. If he smiles anymore, his face is going to split apart.

"You don't have to laugh about it…" All Might has risen into a traditional kneeling position, legs tucked under him, hands resting on his thighs. Hurt etched across his features.

Taking a few deep breaths Shouta tries to control his laughter. An incredible amount of fondness for his husband washes over him. Fuck it. He's done with this charade. Sitting up, he wipes his eyes, and pulls out their matching rings, still hidden away under his shirt. Quickly, he takes the larger of the two off it's chain. Shouta then gently offers it to All Might. It should fit perfectly on his bigger form. Toshi didn't want to take any chances that it might break when he transformed.

"I'm sorry for laughing. It's just, we used to be married. So it's no wonder that you're having impure thoughts about me." He can't help the teasing tone in his voice. "I'm happy you still find me attractive."

Shouta's good mood faulters when All Might doesn't move. Uncertainty gnaws at him. This must be too much. He reluctantly withdraws the ring. Why does he ruin everything?

A strong grip latches itself to Shouta's arm before he can pull the ring too far away. Glowing blue eyes pierce right through him, paralyzing. Wisper soft, the hand moves up his arm, coaxing the ring from his hand. Shouta surrenders it, helpless to do anything else under All Might's gaze. The hand retreats. The spell broken. Air returns to his lungs as he finds the ability to breathe again. Boneless, he collapses into the bed. Taking care that his head is turned in a way that allows him to observe his husband.

All Might is carefully examining the ring. A simple design. Black with golden cracks twisting along the surface. Shouta was taken with the rings the moment he saw them. The gold bleeding through the black, reminded him of how Toshi snuck his way into his heart. It's sappy, and he would never admit it out loud, but he still loves those rings.

"Our love is Plus Ultra?" Shouta lets out a groan. All Might found the engraving.

"Hizashi convinced me it would be better than, and I quote, 'Your sappy 'The other half of me is You' engraving!' during a time I was drunk and panicking." Toshi did end up loving the engraving. His eyes crinkled in laughter whenever he saw it.

All Might brushes his thumb across the ring a few more times before slipping it on. Shouta's breath catches at the sight. Deep longing consumes him. He wants to kiss All Might. Pepper them all over his face, trail them along his wedding band and over his giant hands. Nibble on his ear. Shouta forces himself not to move.

"Can I see yours as well?" All Might requests with his hand outstretched toward Shouta. The ring still around his finger catching the light.

Shouta gently unclasps his ring from his neck, pulling it from the chain and dropping it lightly in All Might's palms. He then places the bare chains lightly next to the clock, not wanting to lose them.

"Thank you." Toshi explores this ring as thoroughly as the first one. It's much smaller, but the black and gold is the same. "You are my heart."

A pained sound escapes Shouta. He quickly throws his arm over his eyes. An echo of Toshi's love for him. Tiny claws tear at his heart. He refuses to cry again. Not in front of All Might. One little sentence and he's completely undone.

Shouta feels a dip in the bed, All Might sitting next to him. He can only imagine the look on his husbands face.

"I'm sorry, for not telling you." He hopes that by speaking first, he can ward off All Might. He needs time to recover, to get control of his emotions. "I was unsure of what you would want, and I didn't want you to feel obligated to be my husband again." Shouta can't help how small and broken his voice sounds when he whispers, "But I miss you."

All Might's large, warm hand takes Shouta's arm away from his eyes. Ever so softly, the blond hero brushes any stray black strands out of Shouta's face. Toshinori then takes Shouta's captive left hand and slides the wedding band on his ring finger.

As he's done a million times before, Shouta reaches out to lace their fingers together.

The sight of both their rings in place, hands entwined in such an intimate way, crumbles the last of Shouta's defenses. Heart cut out and flayed open, offered to the man before him. It's too much. The tears he was fighting against start to fall. Shouta pulls away from All Might, curling around himself.

Only to let out a startled squeak as All Might pulls Shouta onto his lap, hands encompassing his waist. "W-What are you doing?"

"You looked like you needed a hero."

"You're an idiot." Giving up, he leans against All Might's broad chest. Shouta relishes in the sound of Toshi's softy beating heart. He needed this. "How can you be so calm about this? You have a heart of gold, but even this is a bit much, All Might."

"You have a point. However," All Might pauses, gathering his thoughts, "It feels right, having you near me. Maybe because you're the first person to guide me when I was thrown out of my own time."

"Are you comparing yourself to a baby duck?" Shouta deadpans.

Chuckling, All Might replies in a deep voice, "If it lets me follow you around, then I certainly don't mind being a duck."

Humming in agreement, Shouta can't help nuzzling Toshi's chest, inhaling the familiar sent. The lighter tone of their conversation has eased the turmoil in Shouta's heart. He can feel his eyelids start to droop. His body relaxing. Once again encased in the warmth of his husband.

Shouta's halfway to sleep when All Might speaks up again. "I've realized that I'm the reason for your sadness. I can't imagine how much pain I've caused you. I'm sorry."

"S'not your fault" Shouta manages to slur out. Fumbling from sleepiness, Shouta finds All Might's bare arm and pinches it.

"Ah. What was that for?" He could hear the pout in All Might's voice.

" 's positive punishment." Yawning, Shouta rubs his eyes, waking himself up a little more. "For when you're being an idiot."

"He had it all, huh?" It's said so softly, Shouta almost didn't catch it.

Frowning, Shouta gently rubs his hands over where he pinched. "You could have it all too, even if it's not with me, Toshi. Like I said before, I don't want you to feel obligated to choose me. I won't keep your daughter from you, if that's what your worried about."

Shouta is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for Toshinori. More than anything, he wants Toshi to be able to live the life that was robbed from him by All for One.

Determined to have his husband understand the options he has in life, Shouta tells him, "You're free Toshi. The evil that took your teacher away is gone. Many pillars of peace have risen, following the path you laid out. You achieved your dream. Overcome all your goals."

"I wasn't the one who achieved that. I was ready to build that future, this future. Only to find it was already done for me. I have nothing. Anything good that could be mine, is stripped away with my memory. What more do I have?"

Shouta barely holds back from pinching All Might a second time. Instead he goes into teacher mode. Because at this point, Toshi needs a good lecture.

"You have everything. You could take up teaching again, travel the world, learn a new skill. You can do all that, and still be a hero. There's no greater pressure on you now, no villain threatening world domination. Take your time. Learn about yourself, what you like and dislike. No one expects you to figure it out this instant."

There. Maybe that will get through to his thick-headed husband.

"I think, I would like to start by asking you on a date, Shouta Aizawa."

"I-W-what?" The question completely throws Shouta.

"Would you, Shouta Aizawa, do me the honor of letting me take you on a date?"

The elation that rushes through Shouta, sends him into a tailspin. The sudden shift in his emotions is a reality check for him. He has to be careful about this whole situation. "I told you, you don't have to do that. I don't know if it's even a good idea anymore."

"What do you mean?" All Might shifts him, so that they can look properly at each other. Shouta instantly misses being curled up against Toshi's broad chest.

Suddenly self conscious, Shouta fiddles with his wedding ring. "I'm already so deeply and hopelessly in love with you. It would be irrational to put those feelings on you. But I don't know if I could stop myself. Our relationship is already so unbalanced."

It is unbalanced. Tonight proved that. He was constantly looking for his lost husband in everything All Might did. One word from Toshi sent him soaring, one look sent him crashing back down again. If this kept going, Shouta was going to break apart.

"You're worried, because you're unsure of me. I'm the same person, but just different enough that it scares you. Am I getting warm?"

Yes. This new, confident All Might is not who he expected. Shouta expected to have to fight tooth and nail to even get All Might to look at him. Instead the other man decided on his own that Shouta was someone worth getting to know.

Hesitantly, Shouta nods.

"Then wouldn't it be best if we got to know each other? I can't promise that I won't make any mistakes that will cause you pain, but I would like to have the opportunity to fit back into your life." His eyes are brimming with sincerity. All Might really does want this.

Shouta wants nothing more as well. It would hurt to try, but he's learned that being vulnerable and opening himself up to pain, can lead to unmeasurable joy.

Shouta surrenders.

"I would… like that." Cautiously, Shouta runs a hand over one of the arms holding him steady. Feeling the difference in muscle mass from his old form. Healthy, alive.

All Might was right, when he claimed Shouta was sad. Shouta doesn't know if he'll ever get over the sadness of losing Toshinori. But, this might be okay. Toshi is gone, but All Might is here. And All Might likes him. Wants to date him even. It won't be the same as what he had before, but maybe, it could still be good.

Maybe, All Might can fill up the cracks left behind, just like their wedding rings.

Yawning, drowsiness washes over Shouta once again. When he glances over at the clock, it reads two in the morning. He wrinkles his nose at the time. It's already been over two hours since he was rudely awoken. Wiggling out of all Might's arms, he starts stripping.

"Sh-Shouta! I'm excited you a-agreed but, please! P-put your clothes back on!"

Oh, right. His husband is still a blushing virgin. Shit. He's already half way through taking his pants off, and Shouta can already see countless scars across his own body. He risks a glance at All Might and is relieved to see him hiding his blushing face behind his large hands. Huh, looks like when he's not in 'Hero Mode' Toshi goes back to being his dorky self. Shouta files away that information for another time.

"Sorry, do you mind if I barrow a shirt for tonight? I don't like sleeping in my hero uniform."

"O-of Cor-course!" Smiling at his husband, Shouta turns to find a shirt.

He ends up picking out a long sleeved shirt that goes past his hands. Along with a pair of All Might's sweat pants. Shouta's never cared about his looks before. But when faced with the perfection that is All Might, he can't help but want to hide away his battle ridden body.

When he turns back around, All Might is in the same position, hiding behind his hands. "I'm dressed, you can look now."

The flushed hero is already standing and moving towards the door. "All r-right then, I'll j-just go and sleep-"

"With me in the bed. I need a good night sleep, and I can only really get one with you. If you want me to suffer, go back to the couch. I won't force you, but I would greatly appreciate your presence." Shouta's already curling back up in the bed, making enough room for Toshi to fit in if he wants it.

"Oh, I would h-hate for you to suffer." Shouta think's that his husbands stutter is cute. It's better than the blood at least.

All Might hesitantly slides into the place Shouta left for him. When he finally settles, he's laying stiff as a board, too scared to move. It reminds the eraser hero of the first night they slept together. Toshi was scared to move back then as well, he was worried his bones would jab into Shouta.

That was back then, now it seems his husband is freezing out of pure shyness. It will be fun finding new ways to tease him. But at this moment, all Shouta wants to do is sleep.

All Might lets out a surprised gasp as Shouta leans over him. Ignoring his husband's discomfort, he grabs onto the further of Toshi's two arms. He then twists his whole body away, dragging the arm and pulling the other man with him. By the end of the maneuver All Might is effectively spooning Shouta.

"Much better." he sighs, as he curls around the arm he captured. Pushing his legs back and between Toshi's, he encourages the other hero to get comfortable. "Try to relax," Shouta mumbles, nuzzling into his new makeshift pillow. "We're just sleeping, no need overthink it."

"R-right" Toshi is still awake by the time Shouta finally sleeps. Drifting off to feather-light fingers threading through his hair.


	8. Chapter 8

For the first time since his husband was stolen from him, Shouta is able to drift lightly from sleep to the land of the living. It's relaxing to take his time waking up. He slowly stretches out starting from his legs, working up his body, all the way to his arms.

When he finally blinks his eyes awake, it's to Toshi smiling sweetly at him. His head is propped up on his elbow, other arm snaked around Shouta's waist, keeping him close.

All Might's smile widens a fraction when he notices Shouta is awake. "Hello." He says in a deep, rich baritone. Unintentionally seductive.

God damnit. Shouta is not prepared for the glory that is All Might first thing in the morning. Especially when he can't act on his more primal desires. If this was Toshi, he would already be rolling on top of his husband.

Instead, he rolls onto his stomach, tilts his chin down a little to look up through his bangs at All Might. A coy smile touches his lips and in his sweetest voice says a simple "Hi."

All Might visibly shivers and his face flushes crimson, all the way up to the tips of his ears. The hand resting on Shouta's waist tightens as if to pull him closer.

Satisfied with Toshi's reaction, Shouta rests his head on his crossed arms in front of him.

"Now that yo-you're up, do- would, I mean I could…" All Might stammers out. Absentmindedly running a thumb over Shouta's back where his hand now rests.

Shouta answers him with a questioning hum. He should probably go easy on All Might. They still have a lot to talk about, and it wouldn't do to turn the other man into a pile of goo with every glance. However... taking in All Might's ruffled appearance from the corner of his eye, maybe goo wasn't such a bad thing.

Finally gathering his composure, All Might is able to get out, "Would you like breakfast? For me to make you breakfast. I enjoy cooking when I get the chance. But you probably knew that…" The hand that was propping up his chin, moves to rub the back of his neck in a familiar motion.

"Breakfast would be great. I'll join you shortly, I just need a few more minutes to wake up." Shouta accompanies that statement by nuzzling himself deeper into the pillows.

All Might is outright pouting when he realizes he'll have to untangle from Shouta if he's going to get started on food. Reluctantly, he slides his arm away from Shouta's body. "Stay in bed as long as you like. I'll bring it to you when it's done." He lingers, playing with a strand of Shouta's hair before tucking it behind his ear and moving off the bed.

Shouta turns to look at All Might as he leaves, eyes wandering down to watch the way his pants cling perfectly to his ass. Groaning, he turns back to the pillows. He can already tell that keeping a respectable distance from his husband is going to be difficult.

Toshinori has always been very affectionate, constantly finding an excuse to touch Shouta. Shouta's always been more reserved when it came to expressing himself, but being with someone as warm and loving as Toshi, made him want to reach out and touch back. Over the years together, Shouta would say he became downright playful with his husband.

He aches for that lost dynamic to their relationship. At least he can take solace in the fact that All Might seems to be comfortable when he wants to touch Shouta.

Stretching again, Shout lazily turns to look at the clock. His eyes widen and adrenaline starts pumping through him. The clock lets him know he's over three hours late for his class.

Scrambling out of bed, he rushes to find his utility belt. Kneeling down, he frantically digs through it, and manages to find his phone. He tries a few of the buttons, but the black screen continues to stare back at him. It's dead. He was going to charge it last night at the school, but with everything that happened, he didn't get the chance.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. This is bad. "All Might!" He winces at his own panicked and desperate voice; he's going to frighten Toshi.

A loud bang, a harsh curse and Toshinori crashes back through the door. "I am here! What-"

"Do you have a phone! I'm late." Shouta doesn't have time for questions. He needs to contact Nezu, he's never late.

"Yes! Of course, I'll go get it!" All Might is gone and back again, phone now in hand, offering it to Shouta.

Taking the phone, Shouta settles on the floor and find's Nezu's number. He's lucky someone thought to give All Might a new phone. Toshi's phone is still sitting at home on their counter. Dialing, it only takes two rings before the principal is picking up. "All Might! Thank goodness you've called, I wanted to let you sleep in, but we could use your help here! Mr. Aizawa, one of our teachers, is missing."

"I'm not missing." Frowning, he hopes they haven't gone overboard. It's only been three hours after all.

"Oh! Aizawa I'm glad you're all ri-"

"SHOUTA" He rips the phone away from himself, before his ears start bleeding from the volume of the shout. Faintly, he can hear the echo of his name in the distance. He winces in sympathy for anyone in the room with his long time friend. And a second later he realizes he could have just run to the school instead of calling, as he was currently in the dorms.

"Hizashi, softer. You're going to burst my eardrums again and I'm not even there." Rubbing at his ears, he cautiously puts the phone back in place.

"Where have you been? We checked around and when Bakugo said that you were supposed to be sleeping here, we started putting out alerts! We tried tracing the GPS on your phone with no luck and had Hound Dog try to track you, but your scent is all over the school, so we couldn't get a lead that way either."

Over the phone, Shouta hears a thump and a sharp cry of pain, before Nezu is back on the line again. "Sorry about that Aizawa. We were very worried about you. But seeing as you called from All Might's phone, I'm sure you're in very capable hands right now. Please feel free to take the rest of the day off."

A hooting call of 'Shouta you dawg' echoes in the background. Shouta can feel his face heat up in embarrassment. Hizashi is going to demand all the details and when he learned Shouta passed out, falling into All Might's arms, he's never going to let him live this down. He's already brainstorming on ways to explain this situation that leave him with his dignity intact.

"As capable as All Might's hands are," Shouta growls out at the principle, while a choked sputter reminds him that All Might is still in the room. Glancing up at Toshi, he seems fine if not a bit flustered. "I can't take off, what if the students need me?" If he's not there, his students are vulnerable.

"It'll be okay, the students will survive one day without you." Nezu says in a reassuring tone.

Logically, the principle is right. His students will survive one day without him. Tsking, he starts tapping a finger against his thigh in irritation. He doesn't like leaving his students. After the constant villain attacks when teaching the 'Problem Class' for three years, he becomes anxious whenever he doesn't have his kids in sight. He's surprised he hasn't gone gray with all the shit that class put him through.

Sensing the teacher's frustration, Nezu tries to reiterate his point. "Aizawa, I promise you the students will be safe. We haven't had an attack on the school in years. Honestly, I would feel a lot better if you took the rest of the week off. Though I know what a futile effort that would be, so I'm settling on one day; A half of a day really."

"Fine." Shouta says with a scowl. He's not happy about the results, but from Nezu's tone, Shouta doubts he will be able to win this argument. It wouldn't be rational to waste time trying.

"Wonderful! I'll go ahead and let everyone know you're safe now, please enjoy the rest of your day." The call ends with a decisive click.

Pulling the phone from his ear, he glares at it. He's tempted to show up to class anyway, despite Nezu's wishes. Though he doubts the principle would let him stay. Not wanting to face the humiliation of being forcefully dragged from campus he lets out a huff in defeat.

"Looks like the rest of my day is free." A large hand appears in front of him. Shouta takes it and is effortlessly lifted form the floor.

"Perfect! I'll get back to making breakfast. Maybe afterword we could spend some time together? I would love to get reacquainted with the city." Shouta wonders at how All Might can pull off the same eager puppy look that Toshi frequently and successfully used against him. He must be getting excited to get back to hero work.

"Getting restless? I'm sure being zoned to Might tower and UA has been rough on you, Mr. Number One Hero." Shouta teases, as he follows All Might to the small kitchen. He settles on a barstool so he can watch All Might cook. Two mugs of coffee already set on the countertop.

"Ah, a little. Do you want anything in particular?"

"I'll love anything you cook. Before we started dating, I lived off energy packs and premade dinners." Toshi completely spoiled his taste buds, Shouta can't even enjoy a juice pack anymore without grimacing at the flavor.

All Might winces at the mention Shouta's previous diet, stirring a batter. "I don't know if I should be impressed or horrified."

Chuckling Shouta says "Impressed that I didn't end up getting scurvy. Apparently orange flavoring does not count as an actual orange." All Might pours the batter in a pan. It looks like he settled on pancakes, not Shouta's favorite but still something he enjoys on the occasion.

Banter aside, Shouta wants to assure All Might that he's not a prisoner here. "You'll get your freedom soon. Nezu just wants to give you some time to settle before the world demands you again. But if you really wanted to leave, it's not like they can stop you."

All Might lets out a hearty laugh. "I guess they couldn't. To be honest, I feel a little useless like this. I appreciate what he's doing for me, but still, there's so many people I could be helping."

"I know the feeling, it was hard for me transitioning from underground missions to more mainstream ones, once I started teaching. And lately I've been toying with the idea of giving up the hero mantel for good, my quirk has become unstable."

"You shouldn't give up on your dreams! Even with a fading quirk, you can still be a hero." All Might says it with conviction as he gets out fresh fruit and a can of whipped cream from the fridge.

"It wouldn't be giving up my dreams, it's more like my dreams have changed. Or maybe what I want out of life has changed. I will never stop trying to help someone if they are in trouble, but my family and my students are more important to me now. I wouldn't want to put myself in unnecessary danger, if it meant leaving them behind."

He didn't want to die before Toshi did, because he was never truly convinced that his husband could stop being a hero. Shouta could. He's always been selfish when it came to the people close to him. If he had to pick saving Eri or a group of random people, he would save Eri every time. Toshi would choose to sacrifice himself to save everyone.

"I see. That's very noble of you Shouta. I'm not sure if I would be able to do the same." An unnecessary warning.

Snorting Shouta replies with, "Why would I ask you to do the impossible? You'll always be a hero. It's who you are. Even quirkless, with your body decaying around you, you would still put yourself in harm's way, if you thought it would help someone else. It was the most infuriating part of our relationship."

It's always made Shouta uneasy to a degree. His husband's self-sacrificing nature made him wonder if Toshi was just looking for an excuse to die a heroic death. It caused quite a few of their fights.

"Y-you know about me being quirkless?" All Might almost drops the plate of food. Shouta manages to catch it before it completely slipped out of Toshi's hands. Setting them down on the counter, he's pleasantly surprised that he was wrong about the pancakes; All Might made fruit filled crepes.

Raising an eyebrow at All Might, Shouta says, "We are married Toshi. I happen to know a great deal about you. Like One for All for instance. Your old self had already passed the quirk off to Izuku Midoriya. That's why I was insistent in the garden that you go meet with him."

"I already passed it on? I don't feel any different, the flame of One for All is still as strong as ever. Am I going to lose it?" All Might hunches in the seat he took next to Shouta. Worry making him look smaller.

"You're not going to lose it. As far as we can tell you both have One for All. So don't worry. Talk to Midoriya, then you two can decide what to do with the power. If you think about it rationally, then both of you should keep it. It served its purpose and the quirk itself is growing too powerful, it nearly destroyed Midoriya's body before he got a handle on it. It could end up killing someone next time it's transferred." Shouta takes a bite of his crepe.

"I've never thought of that possibility. It's a sobering thought." All Might trails off as they eat their food. Though it's not long before he speaks up again. "One thing has been bothering me, we're married, but our surnames are different?"

Snorting, Shouta points his fork at All Might. "It's because you're too damn stubborn. We fought for a week because you wouldn't let me take your last name, you wanted to take mine." He lowers the fork and goes back to attacking his breakfast with it.

"Ah. Why didn't we hyphenate them?"

"We couldn't agree on whose name was going to be first. By then I was sick of fighting and tried to let Toshi have his way, my name first, but then he argued that I wouldn't be happy with it. Fueling another heated argument. Eventually, Hitoshi, one of my former students, let us know we were both being idiots. If we wanted our relationship to stay under the radar, we had to keep our names separate."

"Did we fight a lot?" All Might asks, eyebrows pinched in concern.

Sighing, Shouta leans back in his chair. "There were a few rough patches. But we only really fought because we cared about each other. Both of us were new to relationships, so it took us a while to figure that out."

"I was starting to worry what I got myself into!" The playful lift in All Might's voice eases the tension that was creeping up Shouta's shoulders. It's both easy and painful talking about their relationship.

"Would you like me to show you exactly what you got yourself into?" All Might's reaction is instantaneous. It's too easy to rile him up. Shouta takes the time to admire the adorable way his ears turn pink. They make Shouta want to curl up close and lavish his husband with endearments.

Taking pity on flustered hero, Shouta clarifies what he meant. "Would you like to come home? You don't have to stay of course, but if you're curious… " Shouta trails off, a little nervous that this offer might be too big, too soon.

"Really?" The prospect of going out and seeing where he lived seems to have snapped All Might back to his usual exuberance. "I'll need a shower to freshen up. Do you need one too? You can go first if you would like." Excited to get started, All Might is already clearing the plates.

"Maybe a quick rinse, but before I go, let me..." Before All Might can leave with the dishes, Shouta reaches out to gently swipe away a dab of stray cream off of the corner of All Might's mouth with his thumb. Pulling his hand back, he delicately licks the digit clean. Looking through his lashes at All Might, a wicked grin spreads across his face as he purrs out, "Delicious."

The plates crack in All Might's hands.

"Careful." Shouta reprimands as he takes the plates from All Might, setting them back on the counter. The tall hero is doing a great impression of a tomato, with how red his face is. Shouta's slightly worried he actually broke All Might this time. The other man is standing stock still, mouth gaping like a fish. Shaking his head, Shouta takes a quick look at the large hands to make sure there isn't any damage form the broken plate. Satisfied, he saunters off to the bathroom, leaving a dumbfounded All Might in his wake.


	9. Chapter 9

Stepping into the shower, Shouta exhales a pleased sigh. All Might is precious. The way his face lights up in embarrassment has Shouta wanting to coo. Even his loud and boisterous personality has grown on the stoic man. It's not nearly as bad as Shouta always feared it to be, and seeing his husband so full of life leaves a humming contentment around his heart.

Shouta can easily see himself falling just as hard for All Might as he did for Toshi.

The sudden assertion of being able to love again so soon after losing his husband startles him. Sure, Toshi and All Might were the same person at one point and if not for All for One Toshi might still be All Might.

But Toshi is not the person he used to be.

Weighed down with the knowledge of his own mortality, of countless days watching his body wither away, has taken its toll. The world wasn't full of hopes and dreams for him anymore.

Still, Toshi was strong and Shouta loved him for it. He found new ways to live. In teaching, in his friends, in volunteering when he could, and in spending more time with his family.

Toshi even started the tradition for their little family unit to go on a vacation each year to a new destination. Last year was camping in New Zealand. Shouta still can't believe Toshi convinced him that camping was a good idea. He's glad he went though, in the tent curled up, away from the pressures of daily life, Toshi confessed how much having them in his life has saved him. That it's still hard for him some days to believe how undeniably full his heart was with them in it. Toshi wanted to give them the world.

Would it break his heart to see how quickly Shouta moved on?

The thought makes him choke, throat constricting. This whole situation is confusing. Shouta loved the person Toshi had become and he's falling in love with the person Toshi was. Even if they share a body, it still feels like a betrayal.

He should take a step back. Maybe try to slow things down. Rushing into this relationship while he's still so uncertain won't do him or All Might any good. That's easier said than done. Especially when part of him wants to fall into All Might's arms, let him drown out the pain, and allow himself to be loved again.

For now, he decides to take this one step at a time. No use putting extra rules down that he might end up breaking later.

Shouta quickly finishes his shower, not wanting to dwell on things he has no control over. He gets out and changes into his black hero uniform, folding up the barrowed clothes.

When he opens the bathroom door, it's to a fumbling All Might, who quickly rights himself and tries to pretend like he wasn't waiting for Shouta to come out. "S-Shouta! Hello! I went to the teacher's lounge and Midnight found me a spare set of clothes for you! H-Here!"

…Cute. All of Shouta's willpower is focused on not cooing over how adorable All Might is right now. He takes the bag that was shoved to his chest and quickly looks inside. His spare black shirt and black jeans. She must be in a benevolent mood today. "Thanks, I hope she didn't give you any trouble?"

"N-no!" Well that's not suspicious at all.

Arching a skeptical eyebrow, Shouta moves out of the way to let All Might have access to the bathroom. "Enjoy." He purrs out, unable to help himself from teasing just a little.

All Might all but flees into the bathroom.

Smirking to himself, Shouta busies himself with ruffling through All Might's clothes, trying to find a decent disguise for the popular hero. There were already rumors about his husband since Sunday, but he didn't want to add to that fire by parading All Might around. Luckily, he has plenty of time to search around.

Because it takes a lot longer for All Might to finish his shower.

Shouta can't help but wonder if all the teasing he's done today is the cause for All Might's extended shower. A shiver runs down his spine at the thought of All Might in the shower, clumsily trying to figure out his own body, affected by Shouta's words and actions.

He ends up having to forcefully shake himself out of that train of thought, lest Shouta ends up needed another shower as well.

Pleased with himself, he continues searching. Shouta ends up finding everything but a pair of sunglasses by the time the shower turns off.

When he hears the bathroom door open, he turns to it to say, "Hey All Might, where do you kee-"

His world is narrowed down to wild yellow locks and long drooping bangs. It takes in one shaky breath, arm already half raised, reaching for his husband, his love, his _Toshi_.

_Toshi is here._

"Toshi?" He rasps out, a storm of emotions locking up his throat.

How could he ever think anyone would be able to replace his love?

Like a man in a desert, his yes drink in as much of his love as he can. But- No. This isn't - The face is too full, the body too strong. The vision of his husband fades away as quickly as it appeared.

It's like someone sucker punched him with how fast all the air left his lugs.

"Shouta? Are you alright?" All Might had moved closer while Shouta was still reeling from the emotional whiplash.

"I…" Reaching up, Shouta gently tugs at a drooping rabbit ear. "I will be. Just- please." His hands card through the wild locks, kneading, exploring, remembering.

All Might' smile is a tinder thing as he rests his head on Shouta's shoulder, letting him take what he needs. Arms wrap around Shouta's waist, pulling him closer. Their new position allows Shouta to let go and get lost in the fantasy of his husband returning to him. It doesn't take long for All Might to relax into the embrace as well, making soft noises of pleasure as Shouta's fingers flow through his hair.

The growing guilt of using All Might as a replacement for his husband, is what finally forces Shouta to drop his hands. The disappointed whine that follows, has them returning in the next second.

This time Shouta allows himself to feel the man holding him. Taking his time to memorize this unfamiliar version of Toshi. Ears he admired earlier today, a broad neck, shoulders that hold up the world. Trailing all over just to start again in his soft sun-colored strands.

"Thank you." He doesn't deserve this kind man. Taking Shouta's erratic reactions to him in stride. "Toshi always kept his hair down. It was only ever up when using his quirk. I never thought I would see it again." Shouta says by way of explanation. "This shouldn't happen again, now that I know it's a possibility."

All Might just hums, head and arms unmoving. They stay like that, Shouta easily relaxing more into the embrace.

After a time, Shouta pulls himself away from his haze of contentment just enough to blearily ask, "Do you still want to go?"

A nod, but with zero indication that All Might is letting go anytime soon. Shouta lets out a huffed laugh at the ridiculous man before him. Leaning his head against All Might's, he nuzzles gently against the other. His hands have come to rest securely around All Might's neck.

They take comfort from each other's presence until All Might's muffled voice disturbs the peaceful silence that has fallen over them both.

Shouta makes a questioning sound, talking too bothersome for him at the moment.

Tilting his head to the side, almost against Shouta's ear, All Might murmurs, "Could you love me as much as you loved him? Do I even stand a chance?"

All Might's voice sounds so very sad. And maybe Shouta hasn't been fair to him. In his mind he still thinks of the man before him as All Might, still shies away from the idea that he could be his Toshi. He's called All Might, Toshi before to soothe him. But he can't force himself to start calling All Might, Toshi all the time. Baby steps then, at this point in their relationship it would be rude to call him Yagi, so Toshinori it is. Anything to ease the sorrow in that voice.

"Toshinori," Shouta says, testing out the new name. Better than All Might, though he's not sure he likes how formal it sounds. "It's not a competition. While I will always love Toshi," Shouta shifts his head to lightly brush his lips against Toshinori's whispering into them, "that doesn't mean I don't have room for you as well."

A sharp intake of breath and Toshinori's whole body is vibrating, with excitement or nerves Shouta can't tell. It doesn't matter in the end, because he doesn't want to go any further than this, doesn't want to be swept away into something he'll end up regretting. So when Toshinori tries to deepen the kiss, Shouta maneuvers to keep it light and gentle between them without breaking it.

Ever the gentlemen, Toshinori is quick to adapt to Shouta's pace. Instead of trying to press for more, he pulls away and with a mischievous smile, starts peppering Shouta's face with kisses.

Laughing with surprise, Shouta is seizes the taller hero's face to get in a few of his own. On the corner of his mouth, on a sharp cheekbone, the tip of his nose. After that they are quick to devolve into seeing who can litter the other's face with the most kisses. It's childish and silly and Shouta loves it.

He is so weak for this man.

The game abruptly stops when Toshinori pulls an underhanded move, nipping at Shouta's ear, wrenching a moan that's positively sinful from him. It's Shouta's turn to blush, embarrassed at how strongly his body responded to Toshinori. The tall hero would stumble into one of his weak points, he was hoping to keep that one a secret for a while longer. Toshi used to use it against him much too often.

"Sorry!" Toshinori says as he's giving Shouta some space. Though Shouta swears he can feel the other's eyes roving over him, homing in on Shouta's flushed face.

"You don't look very sorry."

"Probably because I'm not." Toshinori throws Shouta a cheeky grin, that has the underground hero rolling his eyes.

"Common Romeo, we should get going if you want to see the house."

oOoOo

The trip home was fairly uneventful. Shouta managed to disguise Toshinori well enough. Hair hidden under a hat and a borrowed pair of sunglasses, meant that even with his hulking frame, no one really shot him a second look. He's just happy that it's unusually warm for December, he would have hated to hunt down a heavy coat as well.

Standing just inside the gate of their home, Shouta wonders if Toshinori likes their house at all. It's as traditionally Japanese as you can get, picked out mainly for the location so close to UA and Eri's school, and generous amount of space the privacy fence gave them.

Walking forward, he unlocks the door and gestures for Toshinori to go in ahead of him. Once inside, Toshinori's eyes are everywhere, the interior much more lively and lived in. Shouta can tell he's eager to explore, but too polite to wonder without permission. A kid in a candy shop. Waving his hand Shouta says, "Have at it, let me know if you have any questions."

Toshinori is off before Shouta finishes his sentence, beelining for the pictures on the wall. Chuckling at his husband's excitement, he follows behind at a slower pace.

Their home is littered with pictures. Early on in their relationship, Nemuri wanted to tease them on how they complemented each other so well, so she would take candied photos of them and frame them around the teacher's lounge. What started as a joke, quickly turned into a competition among their closet friends. They have acquired about ten photo albums worth of pictures and only the best, judged by Eri and Toshi with Shouta the tiebreaker if needed, make it to the living room.

"That one was taken last year, at the staff Christmas party. Nezu renovated the USJ for it, adding in a huge tree and everything." Shouta enjoyed that party, since it was exclusively for staff and family only, they didn't have to have the pretense of not being a couple for it. Everyone there would have already known that they were married. Him, Eri, and Toshi came in matching Santa outfits and took a picture in front of the tree together.

"She's so big, how old is she? I can already tell what an amazing daughter she is. What is her quirk? Was- Was I a good dad? Do you… Do you think she'll like me?"

Shouta nudges the other with his shoulder, knocking him out of the tizzy he wound himself up in. "She's going to be turning thirteen in about two weeks. More like, a week and a half now. She is amazing, her quirk is powerful, but has the potential to be dangerous, which is why she was initially put in my care, it's called rewind." Shouta taps on the horn sticking out from under Eri's Santa hat. "The horn stores power, and with that power she can revert a person's body to a past point in their life. Kind of like what happened to you, but she just deals with the body and not the mind."

Toshinori's hand runs over his skeletal counterpart in the frame. "Could she have… made me whole again?"

"Possibly, but she still struggles with control of her quirk. We didn't want to risk it, since the injury happened a long time ago. We didn't want to put that pressure on her." It must be hard on Toshinori, to see what he becomes, even if it's hardly a possibility now. Wanting to distract the tall hero, Shouta jokes, "Don't worry Toshi, she loves you. And at least you were a better father then Endeavor."

The joke falls flat when Toshinori questions, "Endeavor?"

And oh, if this isn't Christmas, Shouta doesn't know what is. Endeavor is going to furious when he learns that All Might is back, and when he learns his greatest rival doesn't even remember him? Shouta cackles in glee at the prospect. "He's just another hero, no one important." Shouta brushes off, not wanting to ruin the surprise. "You were a fantastic dad to Eri, you'd have to momentously screw up for her to ever think less of you."

"If you say so…" Toshinori moves on to the next frame.

A picture of him and Toshi, fast asleep, leaning against one another on the couch, with Eri tucked between them. A large red blanket wrapped around the three of them.

"Lemillion took that one. Eri was plagued with night terrors that wouldn't let her sleep. We had to call for reinforcements. Lemillion was one of the hero's that helped save her and she's always been very attached to him. That's his cape, one of the few things that can make her feel safe when it gets bad for her."

Toshinori's expression is troubled when he asks, "What caused her night terrors? You said she was saved by villains, but… It's more than that, isn't it?"

Sighing, but knowing that Toshinori will need to know this, if he's going to have a successful relationship with his daughter, Shouta steels himself.

"She was raised by fanatics, they…" No matter how much time passes, he will always be angered by what that bastard overhaul did to Eri. "They took samples from her- bones, blood, muscle, flesh. Whatever they wanted or needed at the time. Their goal was to eradicate quirks, Eri's quirk made that possible."

"H-How could someone…" All Might looks enraged.

"It's over now." Shouta says lightly. "She's safe and happy, and she will never have to face that kind of torture again. We'll make sure of that. Now breathe." He accents his point by poking Toshinori swiftly in the stomach.

The tension is drained out of the taller man as he wheezes in surprise. "Shouta!" He whines, obviously put out that he was so quickly subdued.

Tilting his head innocently, Shouta just replies with, "We have a lot of pictures to go through, I can't let you get hung up on every single one." Entwining their hands together, Shouta gives Toshinori's a gentle squeeze. "You have every right to be angry over what happened to her, but it was a long time ago. Try not to focus too much on it, okay? It doesn't define her, and it shouldn't define how you see her."

Shouta's hand gets a squeeze in response, along with a gentle press of lips in his hair. When Toshinori tugs him to the next portrait, Shouta has to hold in a smile at the blush marring the other's cheeks. It's cute how his husband can be so bold, and then immediately be flustered by his own boldness.

They go through the rest of the pictures in a similar fashion. With Shouta allowing Toshinori to go at his own pace, trailing along to explain and answer any questions. Slowly, Toshinori's old life starts to build around him.

Beach vacations, building sandcastles and trying to learn how to surf. A field trip to the mountains, to sled and ski. The weekend at the hot springs. Shouta in his sleeping bag, with Toshi using him as a giant pillow, both of them asleep. Training with Midoriya. Eri and Shouta at a cat café. Quiet nights at home. Taking Eri to Disney, Shouta with Minnie ears and Toshi with Mickey. Countless pictures of them with friends. Their many student's over the years.

They get to the separate section for their wedding photos. Toshi waiting at the altar, so happy that his eyes could have been stars with how bright they were. Eri as their flower girl, practically glowing with excitement. Him and Toshi kissing, officially married. A few traditional wedding portraits of them, Toshi on a mission to make them as cheesy as possible. Candid shots of them dancing and just being stupidly in love. Both of them a complete mess, covered in wedding cake.

Every picture is a small window to a life that's been loved.

"I pitied him." Toshinori says, holding the frame of one of their wedding pictures. Toshi wanted to try lifting Shouta, they both ended up on the ground laughing, with grass stains on their white suits. "I pitied the small sickly man, pretending to be a hero." All Might's tone has turned into a somber one.

The words put Shouta on the defensive, he wants to defend Toshi, and reprimand All Might for his harsh phrasing.

"But perhaps I'm the one that should be pitied, because I can't even imagine being as loved as he was." Softening, Shouta gently takes the picture from him, setting it back down. Toshinori looks lost and small, and Shouta hopes that seeing his old life hasn't overwhelmed the tall hero.

"Let's go to the kitchen, I'll make you some tea."

Following obediently, Toshinori is waiting patiently for Shouta to come back and set two cups down.

He sits across the corner from the other man and fiddles with his wedding ring, which Shouta realizes he forgot to take off, giving Toshinori time open up when he feels he's ready.

It only takes until Shouta is halfway done with his tea for Toshinori to break the uncomfortable silence. "I want this…" He starts, sounding unsure of himself. "I want what he had. I want it all. Every glance I get of the life he carved out, the more I realize it's something I've always wanted but never thought I could have. I also want to be a hero."

Ah, no wonder he seems so uncertain. His teacher's death was still fresh for him, her words an unquestionable truth for him to live by. Never rely on anyone, never make attachments, be a symbol for the people. They are all that matter; you don't need distractions.

"You can have both." Shouta leans over and entwines their fingers. "Having a family give you something to fight for. Having friends gives you something to fall back on, along with a network of trustworthy people and resources at your disposal. Caring is not innately a weakness. It has the potential to be, so you have to be careful who you choose, but more often than not, it is a strength. Also, don't talk ill of Toshi or yourself, it offends me. This is your only warning." His voice goes flat at the end, wanting to let Toshinori he was serious, though the most he would do at this point would be a pinch.

Taken aback by Shouta's abrupt shift, Toshinori lets out a nervous chuckle. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind… And thank you. I needed to hear that. I feel like I'm being dragged in so many different directions. But I always know I'm going the right way, when it leads to you."

That smooth sonofa… Exasperated, Shouta just shakes his head. "What in the world am I going to do with you?"

"Whatever you want to, darling." Startled, not only by the nickname but by Toshinori's flirting, Shouta gapes at his husband.

The smug man has the gall to shoot Shouta a wink when he notices him staring.

"Who are you and what have you done with Toshinori." Eyeing the other man suspiciously, he waits for an answer.

Toshinori laughs, "I just wanted to see if I could turn the tables on you, I'll have to try harder next time!" Sobering, he reluctantly pulls his hand away from Shouta's. "It's getting late, I should be heading back… I would hate to make you late in picking up Eri." Toshinori stands and starts heading for the door.

He's leaving. A distant part of Shouta brain thinks, as a wave of panic pools in his gut. He let Toshi out of his sight for few seconds. Irrational. He's being irrational. But that doesn't stop him from darting across the room and grabbing onto Toshinori's hand.

"Wait." God, his hands are shaking, he's pathetic. "If you want, Eri's been excited to meet you. I'm sure she won't mind if you want to tag along with me to go pick her up. She has her self-defense classes tonight. We could drop her off together?" He's talking to the floor, not able to bring himself to look at his husband.

"Shouta!" And Shouta is suddenly lifted in the air. Holy shit, he forgot how strong All Might is. "That would be incredible! You are the best!" Toshinori showers him with happy kisses and then brings him close for a hug. Shouta definitely did not squeak as he was manhandled.

"Toshi, if you keep this up, we really will be late, put me down." He lightly bats at the other until his feet are firmly on the ground again. "Keep in mind that I'm only taking you as long as you agree not to go running off the second someone screams for help. There are plenty of pro heroes that can help, and of course if the situation looks really bad, we won't stand by, but little things I'm going to need you to let go. Can you do that?"

Mentally debating with himself, Toshinori quickly comes to a decision. "Yes. If it means seeing Eri, I can… let some of the little things go." He still sounds reluctant, but it's good enough for Shouta.

"Alright, let's go meet your daughter."


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you sure I can't just jump us there? I'll be careful not to let us be spotted!" Toshinori begs for the umpteenth time. He's been antsy the entire trip to Eri's school. Constantly fiddling with something, bouncing his leg on the train ride over, and asking Shouta a million questions about their daughter.

It's exhausting and he can feel himself slowing inching towards his limit for tolerating social interaction. Which in turn is off-putting, because Toshi used to be his way to recharge. Making Shouta sorely miss when he could curl up next to his husband and soak up his calm presence.

"Toshinori. Her school is just ahead. She's not going anywhere. Relax." It doesn't help that the closer they get, the more the tall man's nervous energy is starting to rub off on Shouta. He's starting to doubt whether or not Eri will really be okay with seeing her Papa out of the blue like this. Too late for regrets, they're already at the edge of the gate. "Stay here. I'll go talk to her first."

"But-"

Shouta quickly cuts him off. "No. You can wait a few more minutes." He winces, guilty at his own sharp tone and Toshinori's dejected frown. "Sorry." He apologizes, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "I didn't mean to snap. It's been a long day and Eri means the world to me. I just want to give her some warning."

Toshinori's features soften, already forgiving Shouta. "I'm sorry too. Gran Torino says I tend to get a little too over enthusiastic! I'm so excited to meet her, I can hardly stand it."

"Then I better stop wasting time. I'll call for you when we're ready." Toshinori sends him off with a mock salute. The corners of his mouth lift despite his previous mood. Taking one last look at Toshinori, Shouta rounds the corner past the school's gates.

Kamui Woods is on guard duty this afternoon and he's one of Eri's favorite heroes. Shouta can see why, as his giggling daughter is perched on one of Kamui's branches, formed into a makeshift swing.

"Having fun, Kitten?"

"Dad!" Eri perks up when she sees him, making a daring leap from the swing at its highest point. To Shouta's relief, she lands gracefully, striking a pose. She thanks Kamui, but as she turns back towards him, she hesitates. "Hey Dad, did you remember to pick up what I asked for last night? I'll be mad if you forgot again!"

The change in Kamui's demeanor is instantaneous, morphing from his easygoing stance to eyeing Shouta suspiciously. The swing set from earlier, starts subtly shifting into a more defensive line, encircling the ground near Eri's feet with protective branches.

Shouta wants to assume that it's his change in outfit that caused Eri to use their code phrase, but a quick glance back at the gate, he catches a hint of yellow disappearing around the corner. Sighing at Toshinori's impatience, Shouta mentally calculates the correct answer to Eri's question. December should be flowers, this week is roses, and the day's color should be… purple.

"You wanted a purple rose? I could never forget two days in a row." The question Eri's asks is always the same, to be used whenever she feels that something is off. Most of her hero escorts know to be alert if they hear it, but only Eri, Toshi, and Aizawa know the answer to the code. They spent weeks working on it, memorizing it and they practice with it every other week, just to make sure they don't forget.

They created this system after a villain with the quirk to change his appearance, tried to lure Eri away. It was the closest anyone's come to a successful kidnapping.

Accepting her dad's answer, Eri runs to hug Shouta. "Dad, there's a strange man at the gate."

The roots retreat and Kamui's attention turns to the entrance of the school. "Do you want me to check it out?" The wood user stands between them and the perceived threat.

"No need. I brought him along. Thank you for taking care of Eri today." Shouta says, directing an appreciative nod to the other hero. "I can take it form here if you want to get back to your hero work."

Kamui bows back, "It was a pleasure, I won't be too far in case you need me. Take care Eri." Nodding to Eri, the wood hero leaps off, most likely to a nearby roof with a good view of the school.

Shouta appreciates the other's caution, knowing that Kamui will be watching them at a distance until he deems them safe.

Finally, alone, he turns his attention to his daughter. "Eri, that's Toshi, I was able to talk to him and he's here with me to see you." Shouta was expecting Eri to be overjoyed at seeing her Papa, instead she just looks confused.

Eri leans to peek out from around Shouta to look at the gate. Shouta follows her gaze to see Toshinori smiling and waving at them. She ducks back to hide behind Shouta again. "Are you sure? He's so… big."

He cocks an eyebrow. "You know Toshi used to be All Might."

The frown she's sporting deepens. "I.. I guess I kind of forgot?"

"You… forgot?" Shouta says, incredulous.

"Papa has always just been Papa to me."

Shouta is reeling from the fact that someone could forget that Toshi was All Might, even more unbelievable is that person is All Might's own daughter. But the more Shouta thinks about it, the more it makes sense. Toshi lost his powers before he ever met Eri. She was young and traumatized, so no one would have shown her the clips of All Might's last battle. Hell, they only just started showing that footage in hero courses a few years ago, regular schools deeming it to violent to be shown.

Sure, people call Toshi, All Might but that would have never meant anything to Eri. If anything, it would be a nickname at best. They have tons of All Might merchandise around the house, but maybe Eri thinks that's normal, with Midoriya as one of her roll models. They never talked about it explicitly with her. Never sat her down and told her Toshi's story.

And maybe Eri didn't need to know. She was happy with her Papa and her Dad. She never needed All Might. She just needed a family who loved her.

"I'm sorry Eri. We should have explained it to you. Toshinori, your Papa, is All Might. Midoriya told you stories about All Might, right? How he was the number one hero, defeated an untold number of villains, and saved countless lives." She nods, so Shouta recounts All Might's tale for her. How he fought a villain who gravely injured him and how his body became what she was used to now.

"So that really is Papa then?" She leans past the cover Shouta is giving her, to scrutinize Toshinori's new form. Just like before, she doesn't spend long looking at him, preferring to hide behind Shouta.

"Yes. That's what he looked like before he was injured. I know he looks different, and it took me time to adjust to his new body too, but other than losing his memories, he's still Toshi and he's very excited to meet you again."

"Okay." She takes a deep breath. "I'm ready." Her hands are shaking where they cling to Shouta's clothes.

Worried, he kneels down taking her trembling hands in his own. "Eri, what's wrong?"

"He- He's just… so big."

Understanding dawns on Shouta and his heart breaks for her. After all this time, there are still certain things that haunt her. One is anything that resembles a crow. She still has trouble going near or trusting Tokoyami. The second, for obvious reasons, are doctors.

The third, but certainly not the last is men with large bodies. While a lot of factors go into that fear, the main one is because of one particular flunky of Overhauls. He was a gigantic man, with a thirst for blood and fighting. Eri woke up screaming more than once at the violence she witnessed at the hands of that man. It doesn't help that bigger people make her feel small and powerless.

But his brave, beautiful daughter was going to face her fear head on. She was going to walk over to All Might, his form dwarfing hers and try her best to put her Papa's face on the enormous man. Even as her whole body quivers with terror at the mere thought of going near him. All for her father.

"Eri, kitten, I know you want to see your Papa again, but if you need more time… He'll understand." She's gripping his hands like a lifeline. Hoping to sooth her nerves, Shouta rubs the back of her tiny hands with his thumb.

"If I wait, I'll… I'll avoid meeting him. Could you… Maybe ask him to sit down? I think… that might help." She doesn't look very convinced that it will, but Shouta's willing to try anything to help ease Eri into meeting Toshinori.

"I'll go tell him, are you going to be okay by yourself for a few minutes?" He doesn't want to let her go, but she's nodding, so he releases her to meet back with Toshinori. Shouta's thankful that Eri stays later for afterschool clubs. The school is deserted, so there's little chance for an audience.

"Toshi." He calls softly, just underneath the archway, so he can still have a clear view of his daughter.

Ever excited, Toshinori is already right next to Shouta, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Shouta! She's so much cuter than the pictures! Can I-" His words trail off, smiling faltering as he looks past the eraser hero towards Eri.

Knowing what he'll see but wanting to confirm it anyway, Shouta throws a glance over his shoulder. His daughter is staring wide-eyed at All Might, completely terrified. The rise and fall of her chest picking up a harsh speed. She appears two seconds away from bolting.

Taking a risk, Shouta guides Toshinori back out of Eri's view. She's still in the school grounds, the chances of someone attacking her here are slim. He focuses his attention on the man in front of him, explaining the situation as gently as he can.

By the end, Toshinori looks heartbroken. "Should I…" Choking on the words, he stares down at his hands. "…leave?" The family he thought he could have, already slipping away.

"No, Toshi. Of course not." Shouta's already in motion to wrap his own hands around the other man's. It's almost comical how tiny his hands are in contrast. Compared to Eri, this man is practically a mountain. "She still wants to meet you. The reason I told you, is so that you would understand why she's so scared right now. It's not your fault. Besides, if you leave now, she'll think she failed you once she has a chance to calm down."

Shouta finds himself tugged forward into Toshinori's arms. Toshi's younger self is so free with his affections. It makes Shouta wonder if it's because of the man's age, his recent return from America, or if it was that Toshi never felt worthy of affection after his injury. How much can one point in someone's life change their very core?

"What if I screw this up?" Shouta wants nothing more than to comfort Toshinori, instead he lightly pushes the other man away.

"I don't mind being your teddy bear at home, but we need to talk about revealing our relationship before we start cuddling on the side of the street." Shouta keeps his tone light and teasing.

"S-Sorry! I don't know what's come over me lately." Toshinori leans against the wall, head in his hands, defeated.

"Toshi… It's okay. I've been thinking maybe it's time to go public with our relationship, but with how things are now, we need to discuss it first. I don't want to put unneeded stress on you or our budding relationship, by having the world scrutinize our every move. We can wait, reveal it now, or keep it a secret like we've always have. Just think about it, okay? Now is obviously not the right time to have the conversation, but I wanted to let you know you do have a choice in this too. Everything about our relationship, you have a choice in."

The speech seems to have eased some of Toshinori's distress. Shouta moves into the other man's personal space and starts to adjust different parts of Toshinori's outfit. Responding to a questioning hum, Shouta explains, "I want to make sure you look your best when you meet Eri. We shouldn't keep her waiting. Just take things slow, let her set the pace, and don't forget to smile." Emphasizing his words, Shouta pulls mildly at All Might's cheeks and as he's letting go pokes the taller man's nose for good measure.

"Sh-Shouta!" Toshinori whines, while rubbing a hand where Shouta pinched.

"Your fine, you big baby." Shouta gives Toshinori a once over, before deciding to remove his hat, letting his long blond bangs fall in front of his face. "That should give you an advantage. Are you ready?" Holding out a hand, Shouta offers it to Toshinori to take. They're only going a few feet and he hopes that when Eri sees them together, it'll help her realize that Toshinori is not a threat.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Taking Shouta's outstretched hand, Toshinori follows him back onto the School's grounds.

Shouta's relieved that Eri's still there, unharmed. Though she completely freezes when she sees them both round the corner. Trying not to focus on her reaction, Shouta directs Toshinori to sit a good distance away.

Once Toshinori is settled, Shouta's gaze flits between the two of them, unsure of where he's needed more. Eri is still frozen, Toshinori is stiff as a board, his smile almost a grimace. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he can already feel a headache coming on from the stress of the day.

This isn't going to work. Eri won't come closer without incentive, fear ruling her mind right now. Toshinori is too scared of making things worse, to do much of anything himself. They both need to relax and Shouta knows just the thing to help both of them.

"Talk to her Toshi, you just returned from America, surely you have some stories to tell." She needs to disassociate Toshinori from the living nightmare she's currently having.

While Toshi and him had their reading sessions together, that didn't stop his husband from telling hundreds of stories to their daughter. He became damn good at it too, claiming it was another way to show Eri the world and to let her have the childhood that was denied to her. It didn't hurt that Toshi always had a knack for theatrics.

Perking up at the idea, Toshinori starts talking. He talks about how he first landed in America, struggling with the language at first, but soon becoming fluent enough in it. Of the different villains he faced and meeting his best friend Dave and their adventures together. There's stories of his daily life, strange customs, anything and everything that he thinks Eri might find interesting.

When Toshinori's voice rises during the climax of a story, a hard flitch pierces through Eri's small body. Immediately, he lowers his voice into a whisper, which ends up drawing her first step closer. She hardly noticed it herself, too worried about missing part of the tale.

Shouta finds himself just as enraptured with the stories as Eri is. Since Toshi never talked much about his time in America, each one that Toshinori weaves is new and Shouta drinks them up. Even the way he tells his stories are so hauntingly familiar. If Shouta were to close his eyes, he could swear it was his Toshi in front of him, instead of All Might.

Toshinori's voice is doubtlessly having the same effect on Eri. She's moving closer, one skittish step at a time. Shouta is reminded of the more world weary feral cats he's offered food to, cautious and alert.

But the more he talks, the more she relaxes.

By the time the sun starts to dip, Shouta is glued to Toshinori's side, soaking up his warmth with Eri settled in his lap. The last few steps to close the distance between her and her transformed father were done with a confident grace. The war inside herself finally settled.

The tall hero is currently telling them how he rescued a tiger that escaped from the local zoo. While she still recoils if Toshinori moves too fast, she's actively participating in his stories now. Asking questions, smiling at a joke, and critiquing All Might's rescue attempts.

A delicate balance forms between the two of them.

Making a small tentative seed of hope grow inside Shouta. He hasn't lost his family and neither has Eri. They're still a little broken, but with work, he's sure they can mend the damage together.


	11. Chapter 11

As much as Shouta would love to spend all day cuddled around his family, Toshinori's voice is starting to get raspy with how much talking he's done tonight. It doesn't help that the December chill is starting to creep in now that the sun has set.

Completely missing Eri's martial arts lesion, they might as well head home and eat dinner. "Toshi, Eri, I think it's time-"

A loud crack interrupts Shouta. The telltale sounds of buildings crumbling, glass falling, and people screaming fill the air. The two heroes are on their feet and moving to get a better view in the next second. Shouta keeps a tight grip on Eri, not wanting to leave her alone if there is a potential villain attack.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Because perched on top of three apartment buildings, is an enormous fucking _dragon_. Shouta tries his erasure quirk, but it doesn't have any effect on the monster at all.

"Shouta!" The question on Toshinori's face is clear and Shouta feels a little hum of pleasure that he bothered asking before jumping straight into the fight.

"My erasure doesn't work on it, so the quirk user has to be nearby, be on the lookout. Other than that, kick their ass, and don't get killed."

Toshinori smile is blinding, his drooping bangs stand up on their own, flowing into his more traditional All Might hair style.

"So it really is your quirk that controls your hair." Shouta says, trying to pull a rabbit ear back down.

Laughing, Toshinori steals a quick kiss "for good luck" while Shouta is distracted. Stunned by his husband's boldness, he can only watch as All Might flashes him and Eri a peace sign and is bounding away toward the dragon.

Nezu is going to _kill_ him. Though to be fair, the principal was on a fool's errand trying to recruit Toshi. There's no way All Might was going to give up hero work for teaching. If Nezu is lucky, he might be able to convince Toshinori to run few supplementary classes at best.

Turning to his daughter she is staring wide-eyed at the serpentine creature.

"Eri," Shouta says, grabbing his daughter's attention. "I need you to send an alert out to the Hero Network. Let them know what's happening, but stay out of the immediate danger zone. I'm going to assist with rescue and I'm going to send civilians your way, lead them to safety. Can you do that?"

Snapping out of her daze, Eri says a quick "Yes Dad" and runs towards a main street, away from the hulking beast, while fumbling with her phone.

Satisfied that she won't be in harm's way, Shouta sprints to the growing crowd of terrified people. He directs them away from the fray, doing what he can to help lesson the chaos, and to keep people out of All Might's way.

They mostly cooperate, until they see exactly what hero has shown up to defend them. "Is that All Might?" One person asks, causing a wave of excitement to flow over the crowd.

"It is!" Another person confirms. They all start cheering, no longer afraid now that their number one hero is miraculously back to save them. Some bystanders start pulling out their phones to take pictures.

The sheer idiocy of their actions has Shouta clenching his jaw in frustration. The buildings around the fight are threatening to crumble at any moment. Yelling, he tries to get them to keep moving, but they are no longer listening to him, too absorbed in their hero worship. He's going to be crushed along with these idiots, if they don't move their asses soon.

Thick branches of wood start encircling members of the group, forcefully dragging them to safety. Shouta relaxes, relieved as Kamui Wood's arrives on the scene. Knowing that the wood user will be able to handle the masses, he checks in on Toshinori.

The dragon is snapping wildly, trying to swallow All Might whole, while the hero bounces around landing blows along its body. Shouta winces in sympathy as a powerful tail catches Toshi mid-air, crashing him into a nearby building. Quick to recover, the Symbol of Peace is already throwing himself back at the dragon.

Tearing his eyes away, Shouta keeps looking for any stragglers in the area. The first news vans arrive, along with a helicopter, quick to the scene, since the city hasn't seen a battle this big in years. More heroes start trickling in as well, helping with the fight, damage control, or focusing on search and rescue.

A deep rumbling roar echoes through the area, pulling Shouta's attention. The dragon enraged by the numerous heroes attacking it, unfurls the wings it had tucked away close to its body. Almost double the size of the dragon, the crimson wings cover most of the area. The gale created as the dragon takes to the sky, almost knocks Shouta off his feet. It does end up sending a few heroes close to the beast flying.

A surge of panic lances through the eraser hero as from its new vantage point, the dragon opens it's gaping maws and its chest starts to glow with a burning light. Almost in slow motion, Shouta can see the first trickles of fire form in the back of the dragon's throat.

'_This is where I die._' Shouta thinks, desperately hoping that Eri is far enough away to not be caught in the blast.

A powerful punch from All Might and the dragon is knocked crashing into the ground. Fire extinguished. Rubble and debris flying everywhere, the beast skids to a stop just in front of Shouta. Its close enough that he can see a break in the scales on the massive head. He catches a glimpse of a human form inside, but before he has a chance to activate his quirk, the dragon is shaking off the hit. Rising back to its full impressive height.

"Shouta! Are you alright? I didn't mean for him to crash so close to everyone!" Toshinori appears next to him, giving the eraser hero a once over, checking for injuries.

Normally, his husband fretting over him is endearing, but right now he doesn't have time for it. Grabbing onto All Might's face between his hands, he forces the other man to look at him. "Toshi, I'm fine. I think the quirk user is in the dragon. I saw them for a split second."

"Shouta you're amazing! Now that I know their weak point, I can stop this beasts rampage!" All Might leaps back into the air, only to jump a few feet before he's landing again. Confused, Toshinori looks to the eraser hero for answers.

Deactivating his quirk Shouta says, "Toshinori, I wasn't done. It'll be easier if I can get eyes on the villain. My quirk should put a swift stop to the dragon's rampage. The only problem is getting up there. Do you think you could throw me?"

"Are you sure? That sounds dangerous."

"It'll be fine. I just need you to distract the dragon, so it doesn't eat me or burn me to a crisp after you launch me. I just need one glance, now that I know what I'm looking for."

"Okay. Here, step up." All Might kneels down and offers a hand for Shouta to stand on. Realizing what Toshinori has in mind, Shouta steps up and finds his balance. He ends up in a crouching position, carefully cradled in a giant palm. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." All Might counts down to three and Shouta is catapulted through the air.

Toshinori's aim was true and for a split second Shouta is floating in the air, directly above the dragon. He activates his quirk frantically scanning as gravity starts pulling him back down. In the last second, he is able to lock-onto the body of the quirk user.

A deafening crack and the gigantic form of the dragon disappears. Only to leave behind a small child in its place, falling rapidly toward the ground.

Shouta angles his body, catching up to the boy, securing the tiny body to his chest. Activating his quirk, he grabs at his capture weapon only to find air where the familiar weight usually rests.

_Shit_. He forgot that he left it at home. The ground is fast approaching. Shouta twists his body so that he'll hit the ground first. He tries to stretch out as much as possible, knowing that he'll have a better chance at survival if he expands the point of impact.

He braces himself. Praying that the child will survive the fall.

"I am here." All Might's voice is whispered into Shouta's ear as he is scooped against a solid chest. The larger man takes the brunt of their landing, careful to support Eraser's head and body.

The landing still sends a jarring shock through his limbs and he finds himself gripping onto Toshinori's shirt. The child hasn't moved once since the ordeal started. A growing worry has him moving his shaking arms, checking for a pulse on the frail and tiny neck.

"Is he okay?" Toshinori shifts them in his arms to get a better look.

Finding a sluggish pulse, Shouta nods his head. "I think he's sleeping. One hell of a quirk." He jokes lamely. "We should get him checked out, we need to find his parents and figure out exactly what his quirk is. Then get him set up with some support items to help control it."

"Ever the teacher." Toshinori fondly says, carrying them away from the epicenter of the battle. "Can you believe we actually defeated a dragon? You were amazing Shouta! Eraserhead the Dragon Slayer! Bards will sing ballads of this glorious battle!"

Snorting, Shouta flicks Toshinori's ear. "Knock it off you dork." His tone is mostly teasing, a pleased warmth spreading through him at the admiration in the blond's voice.

A blinding flash has Shouta instinctively hiding his face toward All Might's chest and blocking the view of the child's face with his hand. Doing what he can to prevent the kid they just saved from being plastered all over tomorrow's newspaper. More flashes follow as they are surrounded by news crews, hungry for a story now that the coast is clear.

"All Might! Are you returning to the hero world?"

"Does this have anything to do with the incident a few days ago?"

"This is quite a surprise, are your injuries still bothering you?"

"How did you defeat the dragon?"

"Is... Is that a WEDDING RING?!"

The reporters all home in on All Might's hand that's supporting Shouta. The street lights up with how many cameras go off at once.

Oh no. Shouta is desperately trying to remember if he took his ring off before they left. Shifting his thumb as subtly as possible, he feels the ring around his finger. The adrenaline from before comes rushing back all at once causing his heart to beat hyper fast. Trying to keep still, he slowly starts moving the ring off his finger.

He's not ready for this. Not tonight. All he wants is to go home, take a long bath, preferably with bubbles, and sleep off this stressful day.

Any hope he had of getting out of this situation is dashed when girl squeals and points wildly at Shouta's left hand. "She has a matching one!"

Even with the reporter mistaking him as a woman, Shouta refuses to move his face from the safety of Toshi's chest. His hand is shaking but he refuses to move that as well, still not willing to expose the child to these sharks.

Toshinori is frantically trying to change the subject and distract them, but he's too inexperienced dealing with Musutafu aggressive media.

"Wait- I think that's Eraserhead!"

"The one that's always with All Might and Eri? Oh my god! That makes so much sense!"

"How long have you two been married?"

"When did you meet?"

They continue to swamp Toshinori with questions, and comprehending that he can't hide from this, Shouta finally turns towards the reporters. He's temporarily blinded by the lights, but as soon as he can see again, he tears into them. "All of you are in the way. I have a _child_ that needs medical attention and I swear if you don't make a path for us in the next two seconds, I will personally arrest all of you for child endangerment. We will have a press conference later addressing all of your irrational concerns. Now. _Move_."

Shouta growls out that last line, activating his quirk. Eyes stinging and bloodshot, he shows his teeth in snarl, intimidating the reporters to instantly clear a path for them. Still in All Might's arms, he nudges the tall hero with his elbow. "Toshi, let's go."

Not wasting another second, Toshinori all but runs towards the medical vans. As soon as they are out of range from the reporters, Toshinori looks down at Shouta with a dopey star struck expression. "You are so cool! I'm going to snuggle the shit out of you when we get home!"

Silent laughter racks through Shouta. Any lingering traces of anxiety from the reporters is fading away. "I'm keeping you to that promise. I'll need it after today."

As they get closer to the line of civilians, Shouta gestures for Toshinori to put him down. As much as he enjoys being in his husband's arms, he rather not encourage anymore pictures to be taken.

"Wait! That's my son!" A woman they passed ducks under the police tape and rushes over, a man hot on her heels. "Is he okay?" Transferring her son into her arms, Shouta guides them to the nearest ambulance, explain what happened in a way to sooth both of the parents worries.

While the parents have their attention on the paramedics with their child, Shouta tugs on Toshinori's sleeve to get his attention. "All Might, can you find Eri for me? I'll stay with them and fill out the necessary police reports. I don't like her being alone at night. You two can head home first."

It might be a bad idea, with Eri still not one hundred percent comfortable around her father yet. But Shouta has faith that All Might will figure it out and he really doesn't want her out in the cold for longer than necessary.

With a solid grip on Shouta's shoulder, and a quick, "You can count on me!" All Might is taking off into the air, scanning the streets for Eri.

One worry down, the eraser hero focuses his attention back to the reunited family. It turns out that the boy's quirk is dream manifestation. A quirk specialist is called and Shouta brainstorms with her and the parents on different ways to help the child learn how to control his quirk.

Shouta doesn't envy him, powerful and practically uncontrollable quirk is going to leave the boy with an uphill battle.

The kid blinks awake from the deep sleep caused by his quirk towards the tail end of his exam. He happily tells them about his dream when asked and the quirk specialist takes it as a good sign that he seems to have the potential to lucid dream. His parents are given the all clear, and Shouta leaves them in the hands of the professionals.

The next few hours are spent at the police station giving his report. Shouta's just thankful that one of his old students with a repair quirk showed up. It makes cleanup so much faster when the buildings fix themselves.

By the time he opens his front door, Shouta's near ready to collapse.

Aw, _fuck_.

He nearly groans in frustration as a pissed off looking Shinso and visibly ruffled All Might are glaring at each other from their seats on opposite sides of the living room. Smirking, Shinso takes a pointed sip of his 'World's Best Mom!' coffee cup. Causing Toshinori to cross his arms and accent his glare with a scowl.

"Sup, Teach." Shinso says, words laced with a forced cheerfulness that has Shouta gritting his teeth.

Shouta doesn't know what the hell went on between those two, but from Shinso's tone and the way All Might visibly tenses, he has an inkling that he's not going to be enjoying his bubble bath tonight.


	12. Chapter 12

"Please explain to me why you two look close to killing each other?" Crossing his arms, Shouta eyes the two suspiciously.

"He attacked me!" Shinso cuts in first, pointing at All Might.

Narrowing his eyes, Toshinori bristles. "I wouldn't have attacked you if you weren't lurking around the house in the dark! I had to protect Eri!"

"Protect Eri! I would have never hurt her you lumbering oaf!"

Taking offence to Shinso's statement Toshinori stands, agitation rolling off him in waves. "Lumbering! At least I'm not a brat! Who doesn't know when he's not wanted!"

"Children." Shouta shoots them a sharp look, quirk flaring. They both snap their mouths shut. "I've had a long day and I'm two seconds away from throwing you two out." Headache flaring up, Shouta ignores them for now and heads to the kitchen to grab some aspirin.

The long years of being a teacher have thought Shouta how to handle petty disagreements. This one between Shinso and Toshinori is no different. Forming a plan, as he swallows two pills dry, he returns to the living room.

"Darling," Shouta says, exhaustion creeping into his voice; Unconsciously using his nickname for Toshi when he's at his limit. "be a dear and draw a bath for me. I need to talk to Shinso." Divide and conquer. It'll be easier to deal with them one at a time and he rather get Shinso's attitude straightened out first. Having a little space should help to calm his husband as well. The bath being ready afterword is a nice bonus.

"O-okay…" Unsure, Toshinori hovers for a moment before turning and starting down the hall.

"It's the second door to your left. In case you've _forgotten_."

Faltering between steps, the tall man turns a scathing glance on Shinso.

"Shinso. Enough. There's no need to be rude." Shouta scolds, mouthing an 'I'm sorry' to Toshinori, with what he hopes is a reassuring smile.

The hero tilts his head in acknowledgement, before disappearing down the hall.

Turning back to his current problem child, Shouta shoots him a murderous glare. "Whatever's going on between you two, stop. I would hate to have to ban you from our house."

"Our house? Don't you think you're rushing into this? It's been what, four days since I got your message? Teach, you have to find this suspicious. You're letting your guard down, and you've even left him alone with Eri! This could be a trap, one that you're walking right into."

Scoffing, Shouta barely holds himself back form rolling his eyes. "A trap? Really Shinso, you're being paranoid. I was there when it happened. The only villain around was Riki."

"Were you? Because I read the reports, you weren't there when the quirk hit."

It suddenly dawns on Shouta that he didn't actually see it happen. He was in the store. There was a scream. But the woman and child were there. They would have told him if something strange happened… Right? "No, I didn't see him transform. But there were witnesses."

"Did you get any of their statements? A medical checkup on Yagi? To check to see if he is who he says he is?"

He didn't. In any other situation he would have gone through those normal steps. Shouta assumed the other teachers would take care of it, but he hasn't even followed up with any of them to see what's been found.

Not wanting to admit how much he neglected, Shouta deflects with, "What are you implying? That the man currently in my bathroom is some kind of villain? That… Toshi might currently held hostage somewhere? All Might's been at the school this entire time. He's demonstrated his incredible strength. There's no way he's not Toshi." He has to be Toshi. Shouta will never forgive himself if his mistakes caused the people, he loved harm.

"You and I both know there are ways to manipulate people over the obvious. Listen, I'm just trying to tell you that you're leaving yourself open, vulnerable. I didn't just show up for a chat, I've been doing follow up work for you all day. And Shouta? It's not good."

Shinso pulls a folder from behind himself and starts spreading its contents on the table in front of them.

"I started with Riki, portrayed myself as a sympathetic ear, and found his other victims. There are three total, not including All Might." Shinso points to the first photo. "The first was his teacher, an accident, when his quirk manifested, he turned her from mid-forties to twenty."

"Second, was his older uncle, who wanted a second chance at life. He was wealthy and signed a contract to provide funds to Riki. The uncle hand time to prepare, and now he runs a multimillion corporation. I wasn't able to interview him directly. "

Shouta makes a mental note to make sure that this uncle doesn't bail Riki out of jail.

"Last, is a woman he claims he felt sorry for. Though that couldn't have been further from the truth, they used to date, and she wanted to leave him. He thought his quirk would put her back to the beginning of their relationship, turns out she had an undiagnosed illness, and his quirk put her back to middle school, before the illness developed."

The more he learns about Riki, the more disgusted he becomes. Though as fascinating as this is, none of this information actually helps with Shouta's predicament. "What's your point Shinso?"

"My point, Teach, is that these are things you should have thought to check out before getting close to Yagi. Not one of Riki's victims had any recollection of their previous life. Zero, zilch, nada. The first girl, she had a family, a husband and a few children. But she couldn't remember any of it. It was too much for her, so she left. And her family? They were devastated. I don't want that to happen to you or Eri. And from what I've seen, there shouldn't be reason for All Might to be in your house right now."

No wonder his former student is up in arms. Shouta would be on edge too if he didn't know the full story. This would also explain his hostile attitude towards Toshinori, if he thought the strongest man on earth could be a potential threat. "I told him about Eri, he wanted to meet her. This might be hard to believe, but there are people out there that care about family."

"Sure, he cares about family, but why would he be so fixated on you? Eri told me how he kissed you before the fight. He doesn't remember you Shouta. I get why your swept up in this, you were head over heels for Yagi, but why is he so easily swept up in you? The guy has to know he could have anyone. It's irrational."

Shinsho's words cut straight to all of Shouta's current insecurities. He's old, broken, and can barely function as a normal person. Why would anyone want to be saddled with him? Swallowing down the sudden lump in his throat, he desperately goes over his memories of the last two days. They seem to sour with his self-doubt, he doesn't know if he can trust his own interpretations of Toshinori's reactions.

But… "He-" _had a wet dream about me_. "said he found me attractive. We were married. There has to be something about me he likes." Shouta's voice is small and uncertain. The urge to curl around himself is strong, though he doesn't want to appear any weaker in front of his former student.

"So what? You're going to play house with this newer version and pretend like Yagi didn't exist? It's been _four days_ Shouta! You're cautious about everything in your life, why aren't you being cautious about this? It took you a year to officially start dating Yagi, what if it doesn't work out with this one? You're not just screwing yourself over with this, Eri will get hurt too! It's not like you to blindly go into a situation thinking everything will be fine. Have you even given yourself time to mourn?"

"Do you honestly think I haven't thought about this? That every step closer to him isn't terrifying? It's been pure _hell_ for me the last few days! You want to see me mourn Shinso? Well I'm fucking mourning. I haven't stopped. But my husband is here, and he wants to try, and don't you dare try to condemn me for wanting to try too. I will gladly take whatever scraps he's willing to give me."

Chest heaving from his outburst and angry tears threatening to fall, he collapses, defeated, on the couch adjacent to Shinso. Shouta holds his pounding head in his hands. "I know I'm rushing this. I know I'm being irrational. You don't have to tell me. But… Shinso, you have to understand, Toshi meant _everything_ to me. If I could have stopped him from getting hit by that quirk, I would have kept my eyes open until they _bled_. I can't lose him again. I can't. I'm barely holding myself together as it is."

Strung out and close to breaking down again, Shouta concentrates on not falling apart in his living room.

Shinso must have sensed he pushed too far because the next thing he says is, "I'm sorry. I'm such an ass. I should have had more faith in you. You would never willingly let anything happen to Eri. And it's not even your job to follow up, you're too close to everything. I guess I was worried about you two. When found out what happened I was expecting to find you dead in a ditch by now, with Eri on the side of the street begging for money. Instead she comes home with some musclehead, whose first instinct is to put me in a choke hold. Talk about bad first impressions."

Snorting Shouta says "That must have been a sight to see. You two didn't scare Eri too badly?"

"Nah, the princess is fine, she's a fierce little thing when she wants to be. Scared the shit out of All Might that's for sure."

"I hope that didn't traumatize him." Bloodshot black eyes meet tired purple. "Shinso, I'll look into any possible quirks controlling All Might. And I'll make sure Nezu gives him a full exam if he hasn't already. I want you two to get along, and it's a rational move either way. I can't abandon him though. I won't."

Shinso breaks eye contact first, looking guilty. "You probably don't have to. I had Yagi's detective friend double check that Riki was indeed working alone. And I am really sorry for insinuating that this Yagi shouldn't have a reason to like you. That was uncalled for and mean."

"I would say uncalled for was an understatement. I apparently failed at teaching you how to talk to a trauma victim. Your little pep talk was atrocious. Adding to the stress in my life, rather than helping me deal with it."

At least Shinso's heart was in the right place. Shouta can forgive him, his anger already cooling, though it might take a little longer than usual. It wouldn't have affected him nearly as much if it wasn't for his physical fatigue, headache, and the day's events.

"There is something that's been bothering me." Shouta's eyes narrow at Shinso. "Weren't you on an undercover mission? That was supposed to go on for another… three months? Mind telling me why you're in my living room?"

Twitching, Shinso nervously scratches the back of his head. "I finished early?"

"You finished early." Shouta deadpans. "Please do tell me what stupid ass shit you got yourself into."

"Nothing you wouldn't do." He grumbles under his breath.

"Shinso."

"Okay! Shit you can be scary, like I said when I got your message, I got worried. So, I sped up the mission. Brainwashed a few people, bribed others, and beat up anyone who was left. It was a small drug ring. No victims to rescue, so I figured why not?"

"Status report."

"I'm fine!"

"_Status. Report._"

Huffing, Shinso crosses his arms and looks away from his former teacher. "Two bullet wounds, one in the left leg and the other in my arm, a broken rib, and I broke my hands punching someone. All healed by my agency's doctor."

"You're a fucking idiot. Don't pull stupid shit like that on a mission. That's how you get killed." Sighing, Shouta pulls the purple haired man into a hug. "Don't make me hide things from you while you're on a mission. I know what it's like to be complete cut off from the outside world, how helpless you feel, but you have to know what you're doing can save a lot of people. Being an underground hero is one of the hardest paths you could have chosen for yourself."

Shouta releases him from the hug and holds him at arm's length. "I care about you. If I lost you, it would be just as bad as losing Eri. Keep yourself safe for me. And please, be nicer to Toshi? I really want things to work out between us. It won't, if you two hate each other."

"Yea yea, I'll play nice." Shinso waves a hand dismissively in the air. "But if he hurts you, I'll find a way to kill him."

Shouta gives the voice hero a bored look. "No, you won't. Now get out of my house. I'm tired and I have a bath with my name on it." Shooing Shinso as he stands to stretch.

"As you wish, I'll see ya around Teach."

Before Shinso walks out the door, Shouta calls out to him. "Shinso, thanks. For looking into Riki and his other victims for me."

"Anytime." Smiling, the other hero waves goodbye, heading back to his apartment.

As soon as the door shuts, Shouta falls, boneless back onto the couch. Maybe he can just sleep here tonight. The grime and dirt covering his body beg to be washed off, but he's past his limit. And Shinso's warnings, stop him from begging Toshinori to take care of him for the night.

He wants to, and he could. Sweet and caring, Toshinori would spoil him. Shouta wouldn't have to worry about anything.

Pushing the fantasy away, he stands on shaking legs, and stumbles to the bathroom. Thoughts of Toshinori waiting, alone for Shouta force him into action. He'll probably end up waiting all night for me.

When he enters the bathroom, he nearly cries. Toshinori found the bubble mixture and their massive bathtub is filled with steaming water and fluffy clouds. Screw Shinso's warnings, Shouta's going to marry this man a second time.

Toshinori stands as soon as he see's Shouta, looking towards the ground "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been impolite to your friend and you have to know that I would never hurt you or Eri."

"Eavesdropping is rude Toshinori. Turn around so I can wash off before my bath." He doesn't bother waiting for the shy hero to answer, already stripping off his clothes.

Face heating, the tall hero turns to face the wall, stammering, "Y-you want me to- to stay? While you b-bathe?"

"Yes, I'm running out of energy. This way at least I can talk to you, without passing out." Rinsing off as quick as possible, he clears the filth from his body. "How much did you hear?" He slows down to give his hair extra attention.

"Ah, your talk sounded like it was getting heated, so I came to check that everything was okay. Around the time he accused me of not having a reason to like you." Toshinori's voice turns impassioned as he continues. "Which is completely untrue! You're amazing Shouta. Anyone would be lucky to have you." A pause, and shyly he says, "And I think that you- you're beautiful."

Unconvinced, Shouta huffs. "Now I know you're lying. Toshinori, look at me." The tall man stiffens at the command, unmoving. "Don't worry I have a towel on, just look."

Ever so slowly, Toshinori turns around, opening his eyes only after Shouta taps his arm. Electric blue stays locked on his face. Exasperated, he takes a step away from the taller man, forcing him to take in his damaged body. As soon as the first of his countless scars are spotted, Toshinori takes to tracking each one, roaming over Shouta's body. His eyes linger on the star shaped on at his elbow, his biggest, courtesy of Shigaraki.

"I'm not beautiful Toshi. I'm almost forty and I'm a complete mess. Shinso was right, there's nothing about me that you should like." There. No more hiding, it's all out in the open. Coursing through him is the illogical fear that Toshinori will walk out. He fights to push it down, Toshi is too sweet to ever damn someone for their scars. But that doesn't mean he'll find the body attached to them attractive.

He flinches, when he feels a broad hand wrap around his own, pulling it close. Soft lips touch his fingertips, reassuring. "Shouta…"

Sharp pain has him wrenching his arm back from a stinging pinch. Shouta quickly covers the forming bruise with his hand. "Toshi, what the fuck."

"You were being an idiot." Toshinori says cheerfully. Echoing the phrase Shouta used on him back at the dorms.

Memories flood through him. The many different times Toshi spiraled, over his body, over not being a hero, doubting his self-worth, and on the rare occasion, doubting Shouta's love for him. All overcome with a simple pinch, the word's 'you're being an idiot' and the rest of the day spent however Toshi needed him. Weather that was showering him with all the love and attention Shouta could muster, or curled up next to him in the dark, a comforting presence by his side.

"God damnit Toshi." Inhaling a shuttering breath, Shouta wraps both arms around his husband's tree-trunk frame. He buries his face in the soft fabric of Toshi's shirt, breathing in his familiar scent.

He loves this man.

"Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset. Are you okay? Did I pinch to hard?" Floundering, Toshinori starts running his hands over Shouta's back and through his hair. "Shouta, please talk to me."

He blinks up at Toshi, his eyes glassy with tears he refuses to let fall. "I'm fine. More than fine, you were right. I'm being an idiot."

He's so stupidly happy.

"Come here, you dork." Shouta stands on the tips of his toes to pull Toshi into a kiss, tugging on a rabbit ear. The tall man gladly obliges, one hand settling on the back of Shouta's neck and one snaking into his dark hair.

Needing to feel more of this man, Shouta swipes at the other's lips with his tongue. At the same time, his nails scrape at his husband's back. Just as planned, Toshi opens his mouth with a gasp at the duel attack, and Shouta takes full advantage. Twinning their tongues together, deepening the kiss.

Toshi tastes like home.

A gentle, but constant pressure pulls at his hair forcing him back down on the heels of his feet and away from Toshi. Whimpering at the lost contact, Shouta moves his shaking grip to the blond man's shirt, desperate to not be separated.

"Toshi, darling please." On a fundamental level, Shouta can tell he's not in the right state of mind for what he's begging for. But the day's events have taken their toll. He's aching to be near Toshi, wanting to reconfirm that the tall hero still wants him, he's unsure of their future now that their relationship is out to the public, his body is tired and aching because of the fight earlier, and he feels guilty over the fact that he didn't do more to protect Eri. All he wants is to be held, loved, and needed.

"I am here. I'll take care of you, love." A soft kiss on his forehead, and Shouta's feet are swept out from under him as he's lifted into Toshi's arms.

Expecting to be carried to the bathroom, Shouta's startled when his feet hit hot water. Toshi lowers him carefully into the bath, making sure his head stays above the water. The heat soothes his sore muscles and Shouta sighs with contentment. Strong hands move over his shoulders, kneading away at any knots they find.

Officially in heaven, Shouta lets his eyes droop, nuzzling at Toshi's arm. Bubble baths are akin to a comfort food for him. He has nothing but good memories associated with them. Especially since they decided to buy a bigger bath that would easily fit both Toshi and himself.

Happy and relaxed, Shouta drifts off a few times during his bath. Ever attentive, Toshi stops him from drowning. Once the water starts to cool, he's lifted out of the tub into a fluffy towel. Shouta struggles to stay upright as his hair is being dried by the other man.

At some point he must have passed out again, because the next thing he knows, he's laying in bed, woken as Toshi pulls him to his chest. A small smile graces his lips as he settles into his husband's warmth. It doesn't matter what happens tomorrow. They'll get through it together.


	13. Chapter 13

The cheerful ringing of Shouta's phone has him grumbling and blindly grabbing for it in the darkness. It takes some wiggling to get far enough out of Toshinori's grasp to reach it. A quick check of the time has him groaning. Four in the morning. And being that it's Nezu calling, he can't ignore it.

"Aizawa here." His voice is heavy from sleep, but that's what the principal gets for calling him so early.

"I'm happy I caught you Aizawa! I just got off the phone with Might Tower. Apparently, every news station in Japan was going to announce that All Might had returned and not only that but apparently, he's officially no longer a bachelor. Luckily, we caught wind of it in time and are forcing them to wait for a press conference later today. You wouldn't happen to know how that leaked would you?" The principal's fake politeness grates on the teacher's nerves. He has the disappointed parent act down. Nezu knows _exactly_ how it was leaked.

Already knowing this was going to be an unpleasant conversation for him, Shouta snuggles deeper into Toshinori's embrace. Figuring he might as well get comfortable, if he's going to get chewed out.

The taller man grunts at being jostled, automatically pulling Shouta closer, to rest his chin atop black curls. A happy warmth creeps through him and he has to fight to keep the pleased note out of his voice when he responds to Nezu. "You know I wouldn't go to the press on purpose, it was an emergency situation. Did they not tell you about the dragon ravaging the city?"

"A dragon you say? I'm glad everyone's alright then. Apparently, the various media outlets decided All Might's love life and return was more important news. It's times like these that cause me to worry about the human race."

Snorting, Shouta fully agrees with Nezu on this one. "If that's all Nezu, it's too early to be up and my bed is calling me." Shouta complains.

"Well, actually, I thought I would wake you up early, to give you some extra time to prepare for today. Since this is a high-profile news story, I'll need both you and All Might here an hour earlier than normal. Wear suits. Your classes are canceled for the day and you'll be in meetings most of the morning to prepare for the press conference. We'll have a PR rep from Might Tower here to greet you. I think that's everything, I'll see you two soon!"

The phone line goes dead, and Aizawa sighs, knowing today is going to be another long one. Tossing the phone on the nightstand, he decides how best to wake his bedmate. Stretching, he reaches up behind himself to secure his arms around Toshinori's neck. He gently uses the extra leverage to pull himself up and the other man closer. Craning his head, he nips lightly at a strong jaw.

A sharp intake of breath, and this close, Shouta can feel the shudder that rolls through Toshinori's body. Shouta's lips are captured in the next second, as the blond maneuvers him so that their fronts are flush against each other.

Breaking apart, Shouta latches his mouth to Toshinori's neck, working the skin underneath his teeth. "Sh-Shouta… Please." The breathy moan from above him, sends a jolt of electricity scorching through the teacher's body.

They don't have time to continue. They should stop. The problem was, Shouta didn't want to. Last night he was willing, practically begging for the tall hero to take advantage of him. Despite that, Toshi took care of him and in doing so, solidified the fact that the man before him is his Toshi. The dissonance is still there, but it was softer now, muted. The core, the very being of the man before him, is everything his husband was.

…And if that doesn't make Shouta want to ravage him.

Focusing his attention along Toshi's Adam's apple, Shouta can feel the vibrations from it as Toshi stutters his words. "Sho- Sho, please. Just, you were- so out of it, last night." A few shaky gasps, as the eraser hero moves to the junction where the neck and shoulder meet, biting. "and I'm wo-worried that you- you're still not... okay"

The concern laced through his husband's words has Shouta melting into a ball of goo.

With strength he didn't know he had, he pulls away from his husband's embrace. "Thank you," Shouta says, while showing his affection with a little peck to Toshi's nose. "For being you." Resigned to his fate of not seducing the walking wet dream in front of him, he taps twice on one of the blond's thick arms. "We'll have to continue this later, for now we need to get up. We're going to be facing the worst kind of villains today."

"Oh?" It's cute how Toshi perks up at the prospect of fighting evildoers.

"Reporters." Shouta deadpans.

"Oh."

He can practically see the rabbit ears droop. Laughing, he wiggles out of Toshi's arms, the grip around him loose enough for Shouta to escape off the bed, grabbing his phone on the way. "Come on, you can make us breakfast, while I try to get someone to escort Eri to school. Don't want to force to suffer an early morning with us."

Dragging his heels, Toshi reluctantly follows Shouta out of the room, obviously not wanting to face the media again after the disaster that happened yesterday.

Taking Toshi's hand in his own, Shouta gives him a light squeeze to reassure him, bumping their shoulders together. "I'll be with you the entire time, don't worry so much."

"Oh? Well in that case I really don't have anything to fear! My very own knight and shinning armor!" Toshi teases, sneaking in a press of his lips to the top of Shouta's head, darting off to the kitchen before the eraser hero has a chance at a comeback.

Shouta thinks he might be falling in love with his husband all over again. Shaking his head to clear it from such sappy thoughts, he calls Lemillion. The younger hero is already up, training, and agrees to come over to help immediately, brushing off any apologies for the inconvenience. Confident that they'll have a decent amount of time before the enthusiastic hero gets here, Shouta hunts down his husband in the kitchen.

He finds Toshi enamored by the candied apples that Eri made a few days earlier. When he notices Shouta standing in the doorway, he proudly holds one up for display. "Look how cute these are! Little All Mights! They even have my hair!"

"Eri designed them, she was going to have me bring you one during lunch."

"Eri made these? She's so talented! I have such an amazing daughter!" Toshi fawns over his daughter's work, excitedly pointing out all the little details she added in. "They're almost too cute to eat." He says, putting them back in the fridge in exchange for some eggs.

"She'll be offended if you don't, so try to get over any reservations you have about eating yourself."

"Well I didn't have any reservations about it before you said something." The tall man pouts. Whisking the eggs, a thoughtful expression crosses his face. "You two sure have a lot of All Might themed things around! Don't tell me my husband is a fanboy?" Tosh smirks at the underground hero, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Shouta is overcome with a sense of déjà vu, at how closely Toshinori resembles his Toshi in that moment. With a smirk that says he knows he's hot and his blond brows dancing, it makes the blond look like a complete goofball. Fortunately, he recovers quickly, amusement beating out the melancholic longing for his lost husband.

Tilting his head, a smug smirk on his lips, the teacher snickers, "You Dork. You're the fanboy."

"Me? I can't believe I'm such a fanboy of myself! That's a little embarrassing." Cheeks flushed, Toshi scratches at the back of his neck with a bashful smile.

"I always found it cute. It's the only reason I let you get away with bringing home so much of your own merchandise." Smirk fading, Shouta knows they should address last night before the press conference. Though he doesn't look forward to it. Tone falling into a more serious one, he says "Toshi, about yesterday, mind filling me in on what happened? I know why Shinso was upset, but I never knew you to dislike someone so quickly."

Toshi is suddenly very interested in whisking his eggs. "Ah, that was… a long day! It was just a long day. I'm sure the… young man is pleasant once you get to know him!" Laughing awkwardly, the tall hero tries to brush off any of Shouta's concerns.

"I can already tell we're going to need help with the reporters if that's your best when it comes to changing the subject." Not wanting his husband to think he's in trouble, Shouta places a hand on the crook of a strong elbow, stilling Toshi's movements. "I'm not upset with you; I just want to understand what happened. Shinso is one of the best student's I've ever had the joy of teaching. You were both on good terms before. Help me understand what went wrong between you two."

Avoiding Shouta's gaze, the blond stares into his bowl of beaten eggs, setting the whisk to the side with a defeated exhale. "I was… jealous."

"Why?" The very idea that Shinso of all people could make All Might jealous is a foreign concept for Shouta. The Toshi he knew always had a quiet confidence about himself, sure he had self-doubt every now and then, but he was never one to be jealous.

Fidgeting, Toshi twiddles his fingers together, reluctance to talk about this evident in his movements. "Last night Eri was starting to warm up around me. She even let me hold her while we jumped back home! I was ecstatic. But then we arrived back home…"

Pausing, he runs a hand through his blond locks, trying to find the right words. "Shinso was there, I didn't know he was a friend, so I… restrained him."

Shouta is just barely able to keep his expression from changing out of his natural bored look, a twitch of his eye the only sign betraying his inner thoughts. Judging by the waves of guilt radiating off the tall hero, he did a little more than just 'restrain' his former student. His husband is so painfully obvious with his emotions.

"Eri became upset with me. It seemed like all our progress this afternoon meant nothing. She was terrified of me." The distant look and frustrated way Toshi is talking has Shouta suspicious the other man might be sinking into a darker headspace. Attempting to ground the tall man, he wraps his arms around a well-defined waist, resting his head just under tense shoulder blades. Letting the warmth of his own body seep into Toshi's.

"It'll be okay. You know as well as I do that trauma doesn't disappear after one day." Shouta says, feeling a little strange to be spooning like this. Toshi being so much taller and broader than him. It's not nearly as easy as before his husband's transformation, when Shouta was able to wrap his arms fully around Toshinori's waist.

"I know that. I do. I'll gladly give her all the time and support she needs. But the way she looked at me… as if I were a villain. I never knew I could feel so… small."

Shouta tightens the hug in a brief squeeze to remind Toshi that he's not alone. One of the blond's calloused hand rests on his own and Shouta automatically threads them together. They're sticky from the eggs, but Shouta doesn't mind, running his thumb along the edge of the other's index finger. Some of the tension bunching up Toshi's shoulders drains away.

"Shinso was able to calm Eri so easily. The rest of the night he refused to let me near her. I wasn't even allowed to help with the cooking or… anything really. He was right though, she needed space. If only he wasn't so condescending the entire time. By the end of the night, it was obvious that I was the third wheel."

Shouta regrets that he didn't talk to Toshi first last night. At least then he would have known to address Shinso's appalling behavior towards All Might. His student had always had a knack for finding a person's weakness and digging straight into them. It was one of the many reasons the purple haired man made such a good underground hero.

Ducking around Toshinori, so he's facing the other man, Shouta has to lean up on the tips of his toes to reach his tall husband's face for a quick peck on the cheek. Smirking with his favorite Cheshire cat grin, he whispers in Toshi's ear, "You have my full permission to 'Carolina Smash' Shinso the next time you see him."

Choking on a laugh, Toshi wheezes, "Did you just give me permission to beat up your student?"

Shouta leans back down on his heels, satisfied that his husband's soured mood was returning to normal. "Former student, and he should know better by now than to antagonize stronger opponents. It would make for a well-deserved life lesson."

Chuckling, Toshi follows him down, kissing Shouta full on the mouth. "While I appreciate the sentiment, I've been doing rather well with not pummeling people that annoy me. Only three incidents this past month! That's down from my normal five."

"Dork." Affection runs through Shouta's tone, as he lightly tugs on a bold bang.

"It seems like everyone was worried for nothing, you two are still so cute!" Togata's cheerful voice rings out.

Before Shouta can blink, the world blurs, as he's suddenly forced behind Toshinori. His husband has taken a defensive stand, not yet attacking, having learned from yesterday with Shinso.

"Oh! Sorry! I probably should have knocked. Wasn't even thinking. Ah, but you probably don't remember me, I'm Mirio Togata! Aizawa recruited me to help with Eri today."

Slipping out from behind Toshi, Shouta gives silent thanks that Togata has all his clothes on. "Togata, I'm sure breakfast will be done soon if you want to join us? Eri shouldn't be up for another hour or so."

Sending Toshi a questioning look, the other man nods, and finishes up his task of making breakfast. Togata offers to help with the cooking and after both of the blonds start talking, Shouta's relieved at how swiftly the two seem to get along. Seeing as Togata is the physical embodiment of a ray of sunshine, it's hard to imagine anyone not liking him.

They quickly finish eating breakfast and Togata is finishing up a tale of one of his misadventures, causing both Toshi and Shouta to laugh. The teacher wonders at how his students has managed to stay alive all these years. If he didn't know any better, he would say his past students were competing on who could pull the biggest stunt and still survive.

"It's a good thing your mentor was there! Sir Nighteye, correct? I would love to meet him someday!"

The laughter dies instantly. Shouta turns to catch Togata's eye and all he sees is the same horrific realization reflected on his own face; All Might doesn't remember Sir Nighteye. Doesn't remember their shared past or the sacrifice he made for Eri.

"Is… Everything okay?" Toshi is looking nervous and Shouta quickly schools his expression back into a more neutral one. Sending a worried glance at Lemillion, only to find former student forming a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Everything's fine! I think I'm done with breakfast, I'll go clean my plate!" Shouta winces as in his haste Togata crashes into the door, forgetting to faze through it. Shaking off the impact, he retreats into the kitchen.

"Did I do something?" Ever the hero, Toshi looks a second away from chasing after Togata.

"No, it's… complicated. A long story that I don't think we have enough time to do justice. At least not this morning. As soon as we get some time, I'll go over it with you. I'm going to check on Togata, I'll be back in a second." Picking up his own plate, along with Toshi's, Shouta makes his way into the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Shouta say, voice laced with concern as he sets the dishes next to the sink.

"Yeah, I'm alright. It was just a shock, you know? Sir Nighteye loved All Might, it seems cruel that All Might wouldn't remember him." There's a sad air about Togata, with his fist clenched and strained breathing, it's clear to see how this situation is affecting him.

"It does. I didn't realize just how much is missing from All Might's life." Because it seemed like All Might's life started with his arrival back in Japan. His time in America is rarely spoken of and his UA days might as well be nonexistent.

Picking up a plate, his former student starts mechanically washing off their breakfast. "Eri was right, huh? He really must be feeling lonely. To have been thrust into a world where everyone knows you, and you don't know anyone else."

Lemillion raises a good point. David Shield and Gran Torino are the only two people that this Toshi should know and both of those prospects aren't ideal. Dave was released from prison a few years ago, but he's still under house arrest, and Shouta's not ready to deal with that can of worms. Gran Torino on the other hand… has always been a bit of a rough spot for Toshi. He's not sure if their relationship can ever be healed.

Other than those two, the Eraser hero can't think of another person that would be acquainted with Toshi. His husband never talked much about his younger years, a leftover habit from his time spent evading the media on the subject. Yesterday, before the dragon incident, was the first time Toshi had been so open about his past and even then, the only person he really talked about was Dave. How many other friends that he doesn't know about has Toshi lost? Loved ones?

That's not acceptable. Shouta wants his husband to be able to have his own friends, like what he had with Naomasa. People Toshi can feel comfortable talking to, confiding in, because sometimes an outside perspective is needed.

"I have my work cut out for me, getting him back into the social circles he used to run. I'll have to start attending get-togethers again. I don't want him to only have me and Eri. Toshi's never done well in isolation."

Scoffing, Togata says, "Don't be silly Aizawa! He could never think of his time with you as isolation! But I do see your point. I'll work on getting some people for him to meet."

That's just like his former student, always eager to lend a helping hand. "Thank you, and are you sure you're alright? I can find someone else to escort Eri to school if needed."

"I promise you I'm fine. Nothing a good snuggle with Tamaki can't fix. You two better get ready for your interviews or you'll be late, and you know how Nezu gets when you're late! I'll take care of Eri, don't you worry! Now hurry up and get out of here."

Waving goodbye, he heads back into the dining area where Toshi's sitting, sipping on his coffee. The large man's eyes crinkle when he sees that Shouta has returned, smile hidden behind is cup. Shouta's attention is instantly captivated by the blond before him. He almost can't believe that just a few days ago, he was the one teasing Toshi into a flustered mess, now it seems like one look from the other man sends butterflies straight through Shouta. Guess he really is falling in love again.

Nodding towards the bedroom, the black haired hero waves Toshi over. "Come on, I'll find you something to wear. We don't have much time, so let's get going."

Going through their shared closest send a wave of longing in Shouta's heart. Thumbing over a sleeve, he lets himself indulge in the feeling. It's okay to miss his husband. It's okay to miss what was lost. As long as he doesn't let himself drown himself in it.

Allowing himself a few moments longer, Shouta focuses back on his main task. Only to discover that finding a decent suit in Toshi's size is harder than he thought. Almost all the clothes are fitted for a thinner frame and there's no way in hell he's allowing his husband to appear on in a dated yellow pinstripe suit.

After digging into the back of the closet, hidden away in some boxes, Shouta finds a decent black suit for Toshi to wear. They both scramble to get dressed, already running behind. Eri is sitting at the table with Togata by the time they both run out of the room. Waving a quick goodbye to her, they head out, ready to face the next challenge together.

* * *

Hey everyone, thank you for following this story, since I've decided to up the rating, I'm putting future updates on Archive of Our Own. You can find my story there under the same name!

Thank you for reading!


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